A Family For Luke
by H.G. Stewart
Summary: Kathleen Robinson is convinced her husband Jeremy can be molded into the perfect spouse. But why would you care about that? Well, since you asked.....
1. Chapter 1

"Who you callin' a chicken?"

"You're Kentucky fried, my friend."

"Kentucky huh? That's about how far away you'll hafta move to get away from your sorry reputation by the time this race is over."

"It might be where I am by the time your pathetic piece of trash crosses the finish line." Matthew Garrett replied, gunning the engine as he looked at his brother, Anthony, who was doing the same thing in his own car at the makeshift starting line.

"We talk some good trash, bro." Anthony replied into the CB. "It's a talent we might need if dad finds out we're out here racin' his cars."

"Amen to that." Matthew replied. "Hopefully, he won't."

"Least not 'till we're better. I'm tellin' ya Matt, we're gettin' good. Almost good enough to try out for the Busch Series next year. By then, we'll be in line to earn so much money Dad can restore these old racers to pristine condition. Then you sure won't hear nothin' from him!"

"The Garrett Brothers are gonna put Chicasaw County on the map!" Matt exclaimed with a cowboy yell.

"You can put money on it, little bro'. Now remember, we're gonna go down route 4, take the left fork by the old Dobson place and the race ends at the mill on Hackett's Rd. Little and his cronies never patrol that area, so we should be good. You got that?"

"Ten-four. You just say when." Matthew replied.

Matt dropped the CB handle and switched the car to drive before looking over at his brother. Anthony adjusted his helmet before he held up three fingers on a gloved hand. As the fingers dropped one by one, Matt revved the engine, waiting for the last one to disappear. Once it did, the tires on both vehicles spun wildly for a few seconds before they finally made enough contact with the ground to lurch forward. Barreling down the narrow dirt road, both of the brothers concentrated on beating the other, having the time of their lives.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luke Duke yawned as he made his way back toward Hazzard in the loaner car that Cooter had set him up with. The long night he had spend reminiscing with his old Marine buddies down in Atlanta was beginning to take it's toll on him. His plans involved nothing more that going to bed once he got home, despite the fact that it would only be around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. He dared Bo to accuse him of shirking his chores after all the times he had covered for him while he was out racing for former Nascar driver Billy Kay.

Luke continued along through Chickasaw County, the yawns increasing more and more. He turned on the radio in an effort to keep alert, but the station was playing a soft country melody that would lull even the most alert infant to sleep. Nodding off ever so slightly, Luke was instantly brought back to reality when his right tires left the pavement.

In a panic that the unexpected would produce, Luke jerked the wheel back to his left, overcorrecting his mistake. As the loaner went into the opposing lane, a driver headed in the opposite direction sounded the horn and slammed on the brakes as Luke fought to get his car back on track.

Missing the passing car, Luke finally managed to get the loaner straightened out and back in the right lane. "That was too close, Duke." He muttered to himself as with his sleeve he wiped sweaty brows perched atop wide eyes. "You ain't careful you're gonna get someone killed." He then told himself, immediately realizing he was beginning to sound a lot like Jesse.

Up ahead, there was a small street sign identifying a dirt road off to the right as being Hackett's Road. Recognizing it as a road that would get him back to Hazzard, Luke decided to take it in the hopes that he would have less traffic to worry with in his fatigued condition.

The winding country road led in and out of the hills of Chickasaw County. It was a road that Luke had traveled on several occasions since his childhood, and time had not changed it a bit. For miles the only evidence of civilization besides the road itself was the long abandoned Hackett's Mill that had been shut down years before Luke was even born.

Luke offered the blocked drive to the mill a glance as he passed it, realizing that it was sort of an unofficial checkpoint saying the 14 mile Hackett's Road journey was about half over. It didn't take long for the monotonous scenery to begin to take a toll on his fatigue, and he was soon fighting to keep his eyes open again.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Even after several miles, Matthew and Anthony seemed to be going head to head, but they knew that was about to end as the one lane bridge loomed near. As they both stepped on the gas to inch ahead, it was apparent that neither was going to get in front of the other through speed alone. Looking at his brother who was to the left of him, Matthew decided to do something dirty.

Waiting until Anthony was watching, he jerked his wheel to the left. Instinct told Anthony that he'd better jerk left too unless he wanted to explain the damage to his dad.

Slamming on the brakes, the elder Garrett barely missed a tree on the shoulder of the road. "Dang it Matt!" He exclaimed, watching his brother continue on into the distance. All he heard in reply from the CB was a mad laugh followed by a rooster's crow.

As Matthew threw the handle down once again, he looked up at the one lane bridge, the bridge that pretty much determined the winner even though the mill was still 2 miles down the road. Grinning, he raced across the bridge and around the corner, never knowing that his priorities were about to change.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Luke continued down Hackett's Road when all of a sudden, Bo appeared beside him with a bow and arrow. "Keep 'imp steady Luke, and we'll be eating high on the boar tonight."

In seconds, Bo was sitting on the window frame, pointing an arrow toward the large boar in the road. Letting go, he hit the beast, which responded by running toward them wildly, uttering a cry that would wake the dead.

Or in this instance, a Duke. As he opened his eyes the boar morphed into a muddy race car as Bo and his arrow vanished into thin air. As the race car sounded the horn once again and swerved to miss Luke, the Duke boy did some swerving of his own.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Matthew's eyes widened in shock to see the black car go off the side of the road. As he brought his dad's car to a skidding halt and climbed out, he heard the sickening sound of a crash as Anthony pulled up beside him.

"You alright?" Anthony asked, very concerned to have found his brother just standing there on the side of the road. "What happened?" He then asked, having jumped out of his car and forcing Matthew to face him as he stared dumbstruck.

"I……I was going around the curve. This car was on my side of the road…..I blew the horn…Then…." He trailed off looking over the side.

Anthony looked over to the side of the road and saw freshly disturbed foliage. "C'mon." Anthony insisted, pulling on Matthew.

Slipping on leaves as they climbed down the embankment, it took the brothers a few minutes to reach the car that had finally came to rest a hundred or so feet from the road. Reaching it at last, Anthony looked in the window and spotted a dark haired driver who sat unmoving, lines of blood going down his cheek as a big purple bump formed on his forehead.

"Is he dead?" Matthew asked nervously.

"I don't know…I…I don't think so." Anthony replied, creeping a bit closer to the car.

Matt shook his head. "He ain't movin', Tony." He announced as tears formed in his eyes.

"Would you just be quiet? I'm checking." Anthony insisted, stepping forward with as much courage that the eighteen year old could muster. Reaching through the window, he gave Luke's shoulder a quick shake.

"Hey man, wake up." He said, getting no response. "Wake up!" He said a little louder.

"Tony, what's gonna happen to me? You think I'll end up in juvenile hall?" Matthew asked nervously.

"No! You didn't do nothin'! You just said he was on your side of the road, didn't you?" Anthony replied.

"Well, yeah. But you know how Little is, he wouldn't take the word of a seventeen year old. He'd blame me, especially when he found out what we's out here doin'."

Anthony thought a minute. What Matthew had said was true. Fingers usually were pointed at teens whenever they were in the vicinity of an accident, whether or not they were to blame. What if the driver had died? Fingers, in this incident, could mean possibly mean juvenile hall for Matt, jail for him, and cut any chance they had of a future in racing.

"C'mon." The elder Garrett then decided, pulling on Matthew once again. "We're leaving."

"But….what about him?" Matt asked as he was being pulled back up the hill.

"Better not chance Little findin' us here. We'll make an anonymous tip from a payphone…..after we get Dad's cars back." Anthony replied, leaving Luke alone in the wreck.

_**Well folks, this just goes to show that you can take the Duke away from Hazzard, but you can't take hazard away from the Duke.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Matthew and Anthony quickly returned home, the younger Garrett reluctant to leave the accident scene but wanting to rush to a pay phone all the same. Arriving at their small farm, they quickly parked the cars in the barn.

"Dad's gonna know what we've been doin' if he sees all this mud." Anthony pointed out as they quickly threw the tarps over the cars.

"He won't even look at 'em 'till the weekend, and we'll get 'em washed before then. C'mon, let's get to that phone."

Rushing over to the beat up little pick up truck that served as the boys' primary transportation, they prepared to jump in as their father rolled up in his own truck. "Hi boys!" He greeted them as he got out and slammed the door. "Ya off somewhere?"

"Yeah Dad. We gotta run into town we'll be back in a few minutes." Anthony explained.

"Whatcha runnin' to town for?" He asked.

"Um, I left my book at school. Got that big test tomorrow." Matthew explained, knowing his dad wouldn't object to that.

"Well 'fore ya go help me unload this firewood. Ole' man Miller asked to borrow tha truck and I promised him I'd have it over there by seven."

"But dad, my homework!" Matthew pushed.

His dad chuckled a little. "I ain't never seen you in such an all fired hurry to do homework. Can't say it disappoints me, though."

As the boys tried to enter the truck again his dad added. "But the book can wait. Like I said, Miller's lookin' for this truck by seven. Besides, a little late night studying might convince you not to wait until the last minute to get things organized next time."

There was nothing unusual about Thomas Garrett. He was a common southern father who made decisions as he saw fit and expected his young charges to go along with things.

As Thomas lowered the tailgate, Matthew turned to Anthony. "What do you think we should do?"

"Ain't got no choice. We gotta do what he says." His brother replied. "Let's just make sure this is the fastest unloading job in Garrett history."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the sun began to set, Luke Duke stirred and woke up, feeling every single muscle in his body as he tasted blood in his mouth. Putting a finger to his lip, he felt the sticky red moisture and, noticing one of Cooter's greasy rags lying next to him, wiped his face.

He didn't know how he got there, but somehow he realized that he had been there long enough that, if anyone knew of his predicament, they would have arrived already. It would be up to him to get out on his own.

After several minutes of struggling with the stuck door, it became apparent that either it was too jammed or he was too weak to get it open. Sighing, he reached through the window and grabbed onto the top of the car, pulling himself out even as his body screamed in protest.

Luke managed to pull his legs out and dropped to the ground. As his legs failed to support him and he landed on his side, a fresh stab of pain in his ankle told him it was at least sprained if not broken.

Taking a moment to collect himself, he looked at the path the car had taken to get where it was. He had gone down a steep ridge. He estimated the angle of the lengthy drop to be about sixty degrees. There was no way he was going to make it back up there with a busted ankle. He would have to find another way out of there.

Pulling himself up, he felt a wave of dizziness as his head pounded. Taking a look inside the car, he noticed for the first time that there was blood on the steering wheel….his blood. A glance down at his stained shirt further confirmed that he had suffered a pretty nasty cut and most likely a concussion in the accident.

As the air chilled with the coming night, Luke realized that he needed to get out of there. Gathering up all of his strength, he limped away from the accident site.

Listening to the sounds around him, he distinctly recognized the sound of running water. Hoping that the water would lead to a town or perhaps a nearby homestead, he decided that would be his best bet on getting out of there.

The journey on one foot was very slow indeed. It took no time at all for Luke to realize that he would be looking at an unplanned camp out if he didn't do something to speed things up. Looking down at the ground, he spied several large branches that had been shed at some point or other from the old oak tree against which Cooter's car rested. Finding a sturdy one that forked out into two branches, he broke the wood in a way that, in the end, he had fashioned a primitive crutch.

Allowing the fork to support his weight, Luke bore down on the stick and trudged ahead, achieving more distance in thirty seconds with the help of the crutch than he had achieved in five minutes with no assistance.

Soon, the river he had heard came into view. Spying a still little pool fed by the river, Luke knelt down with the intention of getting a drink, the wavering day offering him enough light to get a good look at his reflection.

Seeing that half of his face was covered in dried blood, Luke moved ahead to the river to wash it off. Waiting for the flowing water to carry the blood away, Luke then cupped his hands into the river for his drink, feeling fresh oozing down the side of his cheek, realizing too late that he had been a bit too generous in scrubbing his head wound.

Tearing off the bottom of his plaid shirt, Luke formed a headband which he tied over the wound. As he pulled the material tight, he winced a little as the pressure.

Gathering up what strength he had, Luke got back on his feet and scanned the river. Deciding that there wasn't anything nearby to serve as a shelter other than the wreck he had recently climbed out of, Luke decided to make his way back there, hoping he could somehow start a fire while there was still light left.

But before he could turn, he heard a crunching of leaves from the other side of the river. Expecting a wild animal, he watched as foliage gave way and was surprised to see a woman appear instead, carrying a baby.

"Here we are, Will." The woman said to the baby, lowing his bare feet into the water. At feeling the icy coolness, the baby squealed in delight and grabbed onto the woman's neck, kicking all the while.

"Oh you silly thing." She laughed, embracing the child before she looked across the river. Upon seeing Luke, she froze and almost looked frightened as she clutched the baby tightly to her.

Scanning further, she then noticed the walking stick he had fashioned. Coupled with Luke's bruised complexion and his stained shirt, it didn't take a genius to figure out that he wasn't out there on purpose.

Keeping a firm hold on the baby, she stepped into the shallow river and crossed over. "Oh my!" She exclaimed, getting a better look at Luke, who looked even worse close up. "Bless your heart! What happened to you?"

"Wrecked my car." Luke replied as he steadied himself on the crutch. "I think I busted my ankle."

"That's not the only thing you busted." She replied, gently touching Luke's bandage as she examined it. "Come on. The house is just back through the trees here. We'll go home and get you fixed up. Think you can manage?"

"I'll try." Luke nodded, happy to have somewhere to stay overnight other than a totaled car. As he struggled across the river on the crutch, the woman snaked her own arm under his other one, offering him support as she balanced the baby in her other arm.

After traveling a narrow path between two mountainous wooded hills, Luke could see the house in the distance. As he neared the front porch, he gave the poor condition of both the residence and the grounds that surrounded it a slight acknowledgement.

By the time they were inside, the baby was fussing from being held in the same position for the length of the walk. Placing him in a crib, the woman turned to Luke before nodding toward the full-sized bed. "Lay down over there and I'll get you some coffee."

Glad to be off his feet and to have a decent place to lay, Luke followed her instructions and stretched out on the bed, favoring the ankle and paying attention to new pains that had waited for comfort to make themselves known.

"Here you are." The woman said a few moments later, handing Luke a coffee cup after having pacified the baby with a warm bottle. As Luke sat up to drink, she looked at his boots. "Let's have a look at that ankle, huh?"

"Careful." Luke said in a pleading tone, wincing just at the thought of disturbing the ankle.

She offered him an amused smile. "Don't worry. I am a trained nurse." She said, gently removing the shoe. Trying to keep his mind off of what was going on, Luke opted to sip his coffee and look at his surroundings. While the house was cozy and clean, the condition was terrible. He wondered why a trained nurse would live in such a place.

"That's a definite sprain, but I don't think anything's broken." She announced moments later, gently applying pressure to the ankle while Luke tried to keep still. "I'll wrap it up in a little while but I think we should put a cold compress on it first."

After the compress had been applied, she brought a cloth over and saw to Luke's head. Realizing the wound was deep, she pulled out a small sewing kit and commenced to applying a few stitches despite Luke's protests. Once she had bandaged it, she ordered Luke out of his bloody ripped shirt and pants. After putting them in some sudsy water, she secured a pillow under Luke's head and another under his ankle. Throwing an extra blanket over the top of him, she then turned her attention to getting the baby to sleep.

As she rocked the baby in a rocking chair, Luke looked at her. "You've been very kind." He announced.

She offered another slight smile as she looked up at him. "What else would be expected of me?"

"What's your name?" Luke asked.

The woman paused for a moment as she looked at him. But in seconds, she started rocking again. "My name's Kathleen, and this is Will." She replied looking down at the baby with a loving smile. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Yeah." Luke replied.

"What's that?"

"Who am I?"

_**I don't know about ya'll, but I was startin' to feel better about the situation.**_


	3. Chapter 3

"Uncle Jesse, he's got about 5 minutes to get home before I go out lookin' for him." Bo muttered as he stood up to peer out the kitchen window for the tenth time in as many minutes.

"Just simmer down Bo. Luke told us he might be back late and not to worry about him."

"Well how late is late? What if he's not back by tomorrow morning?"

Jesse shrugged his shoulders as he sipped his coffee. "Well that's when we worry about him."

"You know it wouldn't be such a big deal if his buddy Vincent hadn't called the house and told us that Luke left the reunion at eleven this morning." Bo replied, rubbing a hand through his hair as he sat at the table once again. "That was ten hours ago. It don't take no more than two to get back to Hazzard."

"Well maybe he had other plans for the rest of his day." Jesse replied. "Luke's a grown man, Bo. He's got the right to go out and have time fer himself without havin' to supply us with a copy of his itinerary."

"Yeah, well I'll be glad to mind my own business concernin' his whereabouts so long as I know he ain't off in a ditch somewhere." Bo replied, standing up again and pushing his chair under the table. Going over to the CB, he picked it up. "This is Bo Duke calling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, you out there somewhere?"

This is Roscooooooo P. Coltrane comin' back at cha. Uh, what is it this time Bo?"

"I's just wonderin' if maybe you'd heard of any car accidents here in the county."

"In the five minutes since the last time you called? No." Rosco replied.

"Well is there any way you could call Sheriff Little and………."

"I done called him three times!" Rosco interrupted Bo. "He said he's let us know if something came up, and so far, I ain't heard from him. Don't know why he'd lie to us about it."

"Thanks Rosco." Bo offered with some gratitude.

"Well as they say in Hollywood, don't call us, we'll call you. Over and out." The sheriff replied, ending the conversation.

Smirking, Bo laid the CB handle down just in time to hear the sound of a vehicle outside. Looking at his uncle, he smiled and gave him a couple of pats on the shoulder before he trotted toward the door.

"See, I told ya it's too early ta worry." Jesse reminded him.

"Welcome home!" Bo exclaimed, ignoring Jesse as he threw open the door and greeted the arrival of his cousin.

"Well my my! Is this an impromptu homecoming party or did ya have time to go out 'nd buy a cake first?" Daisy giggled, offering Bo a kiss on the cheek before she went in the house.

"I thought you's Luke." Bo solemnly explained as he closed the door.

"Evenin' Daisy." Uncle Jesse greeted her. "You're home early."

"We had a slow night at the Boar's Nest." She simply replied, bending her knee back in order to remove her shoe.

"Well, hate to say goodbye right after hello, but I think yer old Uncle Jesse's 'bout ready for bed." He announced, getting up from his chair with a slight groan. "I wrapped ya up a plate. It's in the refrigerator. And Bo…" He then said, turning to his youngest. "I think it might do you good to get some sleep too. I'm sure Luke's alright. That's one boy I can trust to take care of himself."

"Yes sir." Bo replied, acknowledging Jesse's instruction while wondering if there was a hidden message for him at the end of the Jesse's statement.

"Somethin' wrong with Luke?" Daisy asked after Jesse had closed his bedroom door.

"I dunno, somethin' just don't feel right." Bo replied, relaying to Daisy the reasons behind his feelings.

"Well I'm leaning toward Uncle Jesse's way of thinking." Daisy explained. "It ain't unheard of for Luke to go off and do other stuff after a trip like that, 'specially when he's in Atlanta. You know how he likes going to all those civil war museums around there."

"Yeah well…." Bo trailed off.

"Yeah well…. you better take Jesse's advice and go on to bed." She replied, turning him in the direction of his room and patting him forward. "If Luke's had as full a day as we've assumed, you just might have the chores all to yourself tomorrow."

"Looks like I'm outnumbered." Bo replied with a slight smile, turning to kiss Daisy goodnight.

After Bo had closed his own bedroom door, Daisy turned toward the refrigerator and pulled out the plate Jesse had left for her. Sliding it into the stove that had already been set on warm, she sat at the table to wait, wrapped up in her own thoughts. The fact that Bo was worrying about Luke was concerning. Had Bo not said anything, she wouldn't have even been anticipating Luke's arrival yet. But she also knew that her younger cousin had inherited an abundant share of the famous Duke gut feeling. He could sense when something was wrong, especially where Luke was concerned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What?" Kathleen asked with a look of mild shock on her face.

"Well, I thought you mighta found my wallet 'fore you threw my pants in the wash over there."

"You mean you don't know who you are?"

Luke shook his head.

"What can you remember? Anything?"

Luke paused for a moment as he thought. "Nothings coming to mind, well 'cept for……a war. Seems like I might have been in a war or somethin'."

Kathleen nodded as she put the sleeping baby down. Having a soldier's training certainly helped to explain why he handled a thing like having amnesia so lightly. "Anything else?" She asked, grabbing a long bandage before she sat at the edge of the bed, preparing to wrap his ankle..

"Yeah." Luke replied as he winced at having his ankle moved again. "Kinda weird, but for some reason I keep thinking about the color orange."

Kathleen found that fact rather odd herself but didn't say so out loud as she began to wrap his ankle. "Well how about your mother, or your father. Can you remember them?"

Luke thought for a moment but in the end simply shook his head again.

"So you can't remember anything, anything at all except for bein' in a war and the color orange."

Luke leaned back and closed his eyes, concentrating as hard as he could. When he opened them, no wiser as to who he was than when they were closed, he noticed that Kathleen was doing some hard thinking of her own. Eventually a slight smile appeared on her face. Luke noticed the smile, but didn't comprehend that it was the kind of smile that indicated an idea had been formed, and not necessarily a good one.

"Um, do you….." He began, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Do you know who I am?"

"How about the name Jeremy Robinson. That ring a bell for you?" She replied, not really answering his question

Luke thought for a moment once more before he shook his head. "No. Who is it?"

Kathleen secured the bandage around his ankle and replied simply with "It's you."

"Me?" Luke asked, failing to find a spark of familiarity in the name. "How do you know that?"

Brushing his hair away from the wound on his forehead, Kathleen looked at Luke. "Well who would know a man better than his own wife?"

_**Friends, there may not be a ghost is sight, but this is gettin' downright spooky**_.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm married?" Luke asked in shock, instinctively looking down at his left hand in search of a wedding band.

"Three years now. We couldn't afford to get rings at the time of the ceremony, and just never bothered after that." She replied, picking up on what Luke was looking for fairly quickly.

Luke lay his head back and rubbed at his eyes.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"Just seems like I would remember an event as big as a wedding ceremony." Luke revealed.

"Well honey, you have amnesia. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll all come back in time." She replied, rubbing his arm.

"Well how long? I mean, you said you's a nurse, right? How long does it usually take for someone to get their memory back?"

"No more than a few days. Once the patient is home and able to see things he's familiar with, it usually returns fairly quickly.

At the statement, Luke opened his eyes once again and looked around the room. After a few moments, he shook his head. "Nothin' looks familiar."

"Well that's probably because we haven't lived here that long. Try not to worry about it, dear, you're rushing things."

"Well don'tcha think I should at least be taken to a doctor so's I can be looked at?" Luke argued.

"Oh there's no need in that. I've seen enough cases of temporary amnesia to know what's going on." Kathleen replied, cutting her eyes to the left. "Besides…….if you get out and start wandering around town, the police are going to find you and you'll end up back behind bars."

"In jail?" Luke asked, bewildered. "Why would they put me in jail?"

"For robbery, of course." Kathleen replied in a way that suggested Luke should know exactly what she was talking about. "You were serving a six month sentence over at the county jail before you managed to escape, Jeremy. Why else do you think we're living in this old shack? It's a safe place back away from everyone where the police can't find you."

Luke became more and more horrified with each new revelation. Looking around at the deteriorating shack that he called home, and considering that they were there because he was supposedly on the run from the police, presented situations that anyone would be glad to mentally block out.

As the baby stirred and began to whimper softly, Luke looked at him and shook his head. "This ain't right. This house, it ain't no place to be raisin' a youngin'. Why don't you take him back to wherever home is and leave me here while I try to figure things out?"

"How are you going to figure things out when you don't even know what's going on, Jeremy?" Kathleen asked. "This place may not be a Hilton, but it's sufficient. Besides, you didn't break out of jail to go on the run alone, you broke out so you could be with your family. Are you telling me after everything you did to be with Will you'd just send him away?"

"Well no….." Luke replied, desperately trying to remember the child that he thought was his. "But we've got to figure somethin' else out besides this. You can expect us to raise the baby in dilapidated backwoods houses for who knows how long."

"Well if that's what it takes to be with you, I'm willing to compromise, and I'm sure Will would be too, if he could speak for himself. Besides if this place bothers you, just fix it up. You always was good with a hammer and saw." Kathleen revealed as she rose to pat the baby, who continued to whimper, back to sleep. "But that can wait until after you've had a couple days' rest. You're hurt and exhausted from that horrible accident today."

"That's another thing. If I'm supposed to be hiding, howst come I was out ridin' around in a car in the first place?"

Kathleen paused as she thought of a response. She paused so long, as a matter of fact, that Luke was prompted to repeat his question.

"Well it was that fight, if you must know." She finally stated, turning back toward him as if she were still angry about some fictional spat. "I explained to you that I would have to continue to work if we hoped to survive, but you just couldn't understand that." She added, crossing her arms to add to the image. "I know you're not used to being alone with the baby, Jeremy, but somebody's gotta watch him while I work. And stormin' outta here and jumping in the car and takin' off didn't do nothing but make matters worse."

"I'm….I'm sorry." Luke replied, desperately trying to remember any of the events she was detailing as he put his hand to his head.

Softening a little, Kathleen sighed. "No I'm sorry. I'm standing here yelling at you about some silly fight when I ought to simply be grateful you're still alive. Why don't you go ahead and get some rest? We'll sort all this out tomorrow."

Luke nodded his head in agreement. He watched as she turned to blow out several oil lamps that illuminated the room, leaving only one dimly lit. Changing into a nightgown, she then pulled the baby's bed a little closer to her own. Finally, she pulled the covers down on Luke before she crawled over him to lay next to him.

Turning on her side, she faced him and pulled the blankets up over them before she placed her right hand on his chest.

"'Night sweetheart. I love you." She said with a yawn, laying her head on his shoulder.

Luke decided not to answer as the stranger snuggled next to him. Something just didn't feel right about all this, but then again, he reasoned, he did have amnesia.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Boys, you can stop hidin' your eyes now 'cause there ain't nobody in here." Sammy, Chicasaw County's junkyard man, announced as he peered inside the black car with a flashlight..

Matthew and Anthony peered around their uncle to see the empty car for themselves. "But how…." Matt trailed off as he looked inside the car in amazement. "He seemed hurt pretty bad, Uncle Sammy. I don't see how he could have just walked away."

"Well maybe that's because someone else come along and had the good sense you two are lackin' and saw that the man needed took to the hospital." Sammy replied, shaking his head. "I thought my big brother had raised his youngin's better than to go off and leave a hurt man to possibly die 'cause they's more worried they'd be caught in the cars they wasn't supposed ta have out in the first place!"

"It wasn't that, Uncle Sammy, it's just that I…..well I thought it was my fault and I's afraid they might send me off to jail or something…" Matt trailed off on the verge of tears.

"Well from what your brother said, it wadn't your fault. And do you honestly think your dad and I would just stand there and let you be carted off to jail without makin' sure the judge knew the truth, if it came to that?"

Anthony sighed as the three of them stared at the wreck. "So what do we do now?"

"Well, seein' how I'm the only one in the county with a tow truck, I'm gonna go ahead and pull 'em outta here, just a matter of time 'fore I'm called out anyway." Sammy replied. "And if I were you two, I'd call the hospital tomorrow and check on that fella…..and get to work decidin' how I's gonna break the news to your dad."

"You mean, you're not gonna tell him?" Matthew asked, a slight look of relief on his face.

"No, you are." Sammy replied, leading his nephew back up the embankment where the tow truck was. "You're seventeen, Matt, nearly a man. And bein' a man means takin' a man's responsibility, ownin' up to what ya done, both of ya." He added, looking at Anthony as well. "Not for causin' the accident, mind you, but for leavin' the feller here to fend for himself. I'll give you a couple of days to do that."

"Yeah well if tellin' Dad what I've done is defined as bein' a man…." Matt trailed off as Anthony followed. "…….why does the thought of doing it make me feel like a little boy again?"

Sammy offered his nephew a slight chuckle and a couple of pats on the back as they began the process of extracting the car from the embankment. "Once I get to town and you boys is on you're way home, I'll call Little, tell him I found it out here and let 'im look it over. That much needs to be done, even if nothin' else is said."

About a half hour later, the car was securely connected to the tow truck and Sammy climbed into the cab along with the boys, prepared to take them back to the junkyard to get their truck. After having visited a couple of payphones in town, finding one in use by a middle aged man in a lengthy conversation and no respect for the word 'emergency', and the other on a corner mere feet from where one of Little's deputies had set up to watch for speeders, they became anxious enough to summon their uncle, whom they could usually go to when they were in some sort of trouble. A decade younger than their father, their Uncle Sammy was young enough to remember what it was like to be a teenager and the trials they went through, yet old enough to have some knowledge of the world and the authorities in it that the youths were lacking. All things considered, they figured he was the best person they could consort with to find a solution to the problem while staying out of trouble.

"Tinker, ya got yer ears on?" A voice called over the C.B.

"Right here big brother." Sammy replied, speaking to Thomas Garrett.

"I just got a call from John." Thomas replied, referring to the eldest Garrett brother who resided in Atlanta. "Mom's been took to the emergency room down at Emory. Said we needed to get there fast."

"What's wrong?" Sammy asked, his heart leaping in his throat while Matthew and Anthony both whispered 'Grandma' as they listened in.

"Not for sure, he didn't have time to tell me. Just told me to get you on the horn and for us to get down there. I'm already on my way, just can't find the boys anywhere to tell them."

"Boys are with me." Sammy replied, already swinging the tow truck around to head toward Atlanta. "We're right behind you. Over and out." Throwing the CB down, he turned to his nephews. "Put on your seatbelt boys, we've got a long drive."

**_Ya know, I'm kinda worried 'bout them boys there, but my main concern lies with the fact that the only clue to Luke's whereabouts is about to be hauled outta town on the tail end of a tow truck._**

****


	5. Chapter 5

Bo was tired that night, but despite his best efforts, he could not go to sleep. So instead he lay there tossing and turning, struggling to find positions that were comfortable. But it seemed as if even the mattress was determined to keep him awake, jutting him with springs here and there that he wouldn't have noticed at other times.

Finally giving up, he rolled out of bed and went to his closet in search of clothes. Once he had dressed, he turned to look at the clock. It was 5 a.m.

When Luke said he would be late, Bo was very aware that late could mean anytime all the way up until morning sunrise, especially since he rarely got to see his Marine buddies anymore. He only hoped Daisy had been right when she suggested he may have visited the museums.

But then again, the museums would have closed hours ago.

He wanted to blame the call from Luke's buddy Vincent for the worry that had settled within him. But, to be honest, the presence or absence of that call didn't really matter. There was no denying the dreaded Duke gut feeling, it had set up long term residence inside Bo Duke, beginning at 8 o'clock the prior evening.

Tiptoeing to the living room, Bo picked up the phone to make sure there was a dial tone. It was there. Bo's worry went a little deeper when he realized that the authorities had every ability to contact them had they found his cousin….and the phone hadn't rang.

"Get the livestock fed."

Bo nearly jumped out of his skin to hear that voice coming out of the darkness. Fumbling, he found and flipped on the light switch, only to find Uncle Jesse sitting at the table.

"Uncle Jesse, I didn't know you's up."

"Well I knowd you were. That bed of yours squeaked so much with all that tossin' and turnin' you's doin' that I's 'bout convinced we had mice in the house 'fore I figured out what's goin' on." Jesse replied.

"I'm sorry." Bo apologized.

"Nothin' ta be sorry for. Luke's been gone long enough fer me to have been in there wakin' ya up anyway. Now go on and git the livestock fed so's as soon as it's light out me 'nd you can go out and start lookin' fer him."

"You're worried too? I thought you said we shouldn't worry until morning." Bo reminded him.

"Well, it's practically mornin'." Jesse replied, pointing to his foot. "Besides, my big toe's hurtin', and it ain't ached like this since that blizzard hit back in tha winter and all you kids was in trouble. Now stop jabberin' and go on. I'll fix us a quick breakfast."

Nodding, Bo grabbed a light jacket from the coat rack to protect himself from the chill of the early spring morning air. Trudging toward the barn, he arrived and filled Maudine's feed bin before he pulled out the chicken feed. As he scattered the food on the ground, the first hints of daylight began to appear as what was once areas of pitch blackness slowly began to lighten up. All the while, Bo kept looking down the long dirt road that led up to the Duke farm, hoping that a seldom borrowed black car would appear at any moment. But the only movements he saw were the birds as they left their nests, chirping in anticipation of the new day.

Finishing up the job, Bo went back to the house, where Jesse had prepared a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. Eating quickly, the men wrapped up what was left for Daisy, leaving a note as to where they were going. Closing the door softly behind them, they went out to the pickup truck as Jesse had made it clear over breakfast that he wasn't climbing in and out of the General during the search. As Bo drove away, Jesse picked up the CB, prepared to offer Rosco a courtesy wake up call.

XXXXXXXXX

Bo wasn't the only one who had a restless night, Luke had too. Laying there with that woman's arm over him, he willed himself to remember her and the baby who lay in the crib next to him. But the only thing his hard concentration had gained him was a stronger headache. At about the same time Bo was crawling out of bed back at the Duke farm, Luke was finally drifting off to sleep.

Moments later, Kathleen Robinson opened her eyes. She thought he was never going to go to sleep. "Jeremy?" She whispered, to see if he would respond. "Jeremy?"

Satisfied that he was indeed asleep, she carefully climbed out of bed. Going over to the kitchen counter, she picked up the wallet she had dug out of Luke's pants before throwing them in the water. Putting on her shoes, she then picked up the single oil lamp that had been left on overnight. Softly opening the door, she looked back toward Luke and the baby to confirm that they were still asleep before she went outside.

Sitting on the front steps she turned up the lamp before she looked in the wallet. The first thing she did was pull out his driver's license.

"Luke Duke." She said aloud, examining the photo on the card. Reinserting it in the wallet, she dug further and came up with a copy of an insurance card for a 69 Dodge Charger, a fishing license, eighteen dollars in cash, and several photographs. Most were of girls his own age. One featured him along with another young man and girl who bore a slight resemblance to him, along with an elderly man in overalls. She assumed he must have been their grandfather. Another picture showed him and the same young man in front of an orange stock car with an 01 on the side. "That must be the orange he was thinking about." She told herself.

The final picture showed Luke again, this time dressed out in full military uniform. That confirmed his other memory. Apparently he had fought in the Vietnam War.

Extracting the money, she closed the wallet and sat on the steps a few minutes, thinking,

As a nurse, she had seen amnesia before. Most of the time it was temporary. As she had told Luke, most victims regained their memory once they were in familiar surroundings, close to their own things. Luke's memories told her that, with the right stimulation, his full memory could come back quite easily.

Standing up, she looked back toward the little ramshackle house once again. It certainly wouldn't win the Better Homes and Gardens house of the Year award, but inside was a sweet baby, and a seemingly loving man, a little family anyone would be lucky to be a part of, and Kathleen considered herself very lucky indeed. The family she had always wanted had been created, and she wasn't about to let anything destroy it.

So, with that in mind, she turned and walked to the old well at the equally old homestead. Arriving there, she held Luke's wallet over the opening, and stood listening until a faraway splash was heard, destroying all things familiar any evidence Luke Duke would be able to find on his true identity.

_**I don't know about ya'll, but I feel like givin' somebody a goooooooooood spankin'**_.


	6. Chapter 6

Jeremy Robinson, as he knew himself, woke late the next morning. His first conscious thoughts, before opening his eyes, were familiar; the scent of bacon wavered through the air as sounds from an open window indicated that he was somewhere out in the country. But all familiarity ended as soon as he opened those eyes to the crying of an infant.

"Oh good, you're awake." Kathleen announced, as she hurried to and fro around the house, wearing nurse's scrubs and looking at her watch. Grabbing a slightly damp pair of jeans and a blue plaid shirt from a thin wash line that had been strung across the kitchen area of the one room house, she flung them toward Luke. "I mended your clothes for you, even sewed the scrap back onto your shirt that you had used on your head. Tuck it into your pants and you'll never know it was ripped."

"Well what's wrong with my other clothes?" Luke asked, looking at the set in disbelief and wondering why he would have to wear the same clothes a second day in a row.

"We didn't have time to grab any from the house. Don't worry Jeremy, blue suits you. You look good wearing it every day. Besides, who's gonna see you except me and the baby?"

Luke didn't answer as she continued to hurry around the house. Ejecting a bottle from a pan of warm water, she gave it a good vigorous shaking before she brought it to the baby, who took it hungrily and lay back in the crib, satisfied. "Now remember our discussion last night. I have to go to work today. I'll put Will's crib here next to your bed. That way you won't have to go too far to get him if he gets fussy. I'll borrow a pair of crutches from the hospital for you and bring them home tonight."

"Listen, I ain't sure I know anything about takin' care of a baby, especially with a busted ankle." Luke replied nervously, eyeing Will who looked right back at him with what seemed to be equally nervous brown eyes.

"There's nothing to it." Kathleen announced, bringing him a paper plate loaded with bacon and eggs and putting it on the side table next to him along with a cup of coffee." Everything you need is right there by your side. If he gets hungry, feed him. If he's wet, change him. If he's sleepy, put him to sleep. If all else fails, read him a book. There's a couple there next to the diapers." She instructed, looking at her watch again. "I'm late." She then announced, pecking the baby on the head, and then Luke." I should be home around seven."

"But….."

"Bye." She replied, offering Luke a slight wave as she headed out the door and climbed inside a car to make her way to the hospital.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't know Uncle Jesse, it's like he's disappeared into thin air." Bo announced later that afternoon after another fruitless search of a Chickasaw County road. Having stopped by a small pond to take time to eat a lunch consisting of granola bars and trail mix from a local country store, he picked up stones and skipped them across the water in frustration.

"That it has." Jesse replied, chewing some granola. "But at least J.D. had the good sense to let Rosco and Enos help Cooter and Daisy check things out back in Hazzard. Luke might not have been missin' the required 24 hours, but even he knew enough about that boy to realize somethin' ain't right."

"Yeah, well I wish he could call Sheriff Little and give him a talkin' too." Bo replied. "We've covered a lot of roads here but I just don't know Chickasaw like I do Hazzard. Seems Luke would have to be here or back in Hazzard since the he would have took the Chicasaw exit.. State Patrol would have found him on I-75 if he'd run into trouble there."

"That is, if he's even in a wreck. Don't forget somebody coulda stole the car and hit him in the head or somethin'."

"That's the part I's tryin' to forget, Uncle Jesse." Bo replied. "This mornin' I thought it'd been just awful to find Luke in a wreck, now I can't help but wonder if that wouldn't 'ave been the lesser of two evils."

Jesse didn't reply but simply gave a slight nod of agreement. "Well, 'till we hear from him, can't do nothin' but keep lookin'. We best get back on the road."

With that, Jesse stood up and dropped the wrapper from his granola bar. Bending down and picking it back up, he attempted to rise once again before he stopped and muttered 'Uh oh.'

"What's the matter?" Bo asked.

"I'll tell you whatsamatter." Jesse muttered. "Of all the dang times for it to go, my back just went out!"

"Well can't you stand up?" Bo asked, putting his hands on Jesse's arm in an effort to assist him.

"'Course I can, it's just that I wanted to get a real good look at yer boots there." Jesse replied in pain as he held onto to Bo and the side of his truck and tried to pull himself up without success.

"We need to get you to a doctor." Bo announced, assisting Jesse to the passenger's side.

"No we've got to look for Luke. Besides, it'll pass after awhile." Jesse replied.

Despite his worry over his cousin, Bo couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Jesse, this ain't the first time your back ever went out and you know as well as I do that you ain't gonna experience nothin' but pure agony until you see somebody."

"Well……….alright." Jesse replied reluctantly as Bo used all that was in him to get his uncle up into the cab. "But we ain't got a lot of time to dilly dally around. Take me to the emergency room."

"Yes sir." Bo replied, slamming the door before he rushed around to the driver's seat.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Kathleen!" Heather Greer exclaimed, arching an eyebrow in surprise at seeing her co-worker standing in front of her. "I wasn't expecting to see you back today. I thought you were going to be out in Arizona with your mom another week."

"My sister is out there now, so I felt comfortable enough to come back." Kathleen explained, throwing her purse under the counter. "Besides, Mom seems to be doing much better, thank heaven."

"Glad to hear that. Did you hear what happened to Kate right after you left?" Heather immediately began, jumping right in to gossip mode. Seeing a third woman approach the counter, Heather quickly cupped her hand around Kathleen's ear and whispered something briefly, Kathleen's eyes widening in shock. "Nooooo………." Kathleen trailed off, looking in surprise at her friend.

"Hey Kate." Heather then said, moving away from Kathleen and hugging the third lady. "How you holdin' up?"

"I'm holdin'." Kate simply replied, hugging Heather back and sniffing.

"Honey, I'm not sure you're ready to be back at work yet. Why don't you go on home? Kathleen's back and I'm sure she can take your patients for you."

"Of course I will." Kathleen replied, patting Kate's arm. "I just heard what happened, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you, but there's too many memories at home." Kate argued. "I just can't bear to be there right now."

"Hey ladies." Jack, an orderly said, moving their attention to him. "Dr. Wilson needs one of you down in emergency, said patients are coming out of the woodwork."

Kathleen turned to Kate. "Are you sure you don't want to leave."

"I'm positive." Kate nodded.

Nodding and giving her a hug, Kathleen turned and joined Jack as they walked together toward the emergency room.

"Welcome back Kathleen." Dr. Wilson said, offering her a brief greeting once she had arrived. "Take this chart and check on the patient in 3. We've got so many people here I'm just trying to prioritize at this point."

"Yes doctor." She nodded, taking the chart. Making her way to three, she threw back the curtain to see to the patient within…….and gasped in surprise.

For there was the elderly man in a red cap and the young man she saw pictured in the photographs she had gazed at the night before!

"Luke!" She whispered out loud, before she was able to catch herself.

_**I've got a feelin' that ole' Jesse ain't gonna feel too bad about lookin' for medical help any more.**_


	7. Chapter 7

Jesse and Bo, who had both been concentrating on and rubbing the sore area of Jesse's back, simultaneously jerked their heads up at hearing that single word come out of Kathleen's mouth.

"What did you say lady?" Bo asked, speaking for both of them as he moved forward and loomed over the petite lady in an unintentional threatening manner.

"Oh um….." Kathleen stuttered, looking down nervously at her clipboard, where her eyes so happened to fall on the patient's name. "Uh, I'm sorry. It's Duke, isn't it? Jesse Duke?"

Both of the Duke mens' looks of hope became crestfallen. "Uh, yes ma'am." Jesse replied. "I'm Jesse Duke."

"Well Mr. Duke." Kathleen replied, intentionally stepping away from Bo in order to reach more of a comfort zone. "What brings you to the emergency room this afternoon?"

Jesse commenced to explain what had happened and the reason he was there. Kathleen then left the room and returned moments later with Dr. Wilson.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Duke." Dr. Wilson smiled, remembering Jesse and Bo from some past visits, first when Jesse was brought in with appendicitis and then when Luke was brought in with a kidney disorder. "I'm sorry to hear about your back. However, being that this has happened before, I'm sure you realize that there isn't much I can do for you here, other than to prescribe some Vicoden to dull the pain and see that you're set up for a few sessions with a chiropractor."

"The pain killers are what I came fer, and the sooner I can get 'em the better." Jesse muttered.

The doctor nodded and wrote out a quick prescription, which he handed to Bo. "We have complimentary samples of the drug here at the hospital. Kathleen will bring you enough to see you through until you can make it to the pharmacy."

"I'll be happy to." Kathleen agreed, rushing out of the room as if she were happy to have an excuse to leave there. Having noticed Luke's car removed from the accident site on the way to work that morning, she had joyfully concluded for herself that there were no longer any clues to the whereabouts of her 'Jeremy'. But that had all nearly changed with a simple slip of her tongue.

"If you don't mind, Mr. Duke, I'm just going to press on your back a little bit, make sure that there isn't anything else going on that we need to be aware of."

As Dr. Wilson began the examination, Bo couldn't help but question him. "Dr. Wilson, is there any chance that you might have seen Luke come through here?"

"Your cousin that had the kidney disorder?" Dr. Wilson asked, receiving a reassuring nod although he was fairly certain he already knew the answer. "No, I haven't. Why, is there a chance he's developed complications?" He asked with a slight frown.

"No sir." Bo replied, relaying Luke's inexplicable disappearance.

"That's a real shame. I hope you find him soon. Listen, I'll be around until about ten this evening. If you could tell me some way of getting in contact with you, I'll keep an eye out for Luke and call you if he comes in."

"That would be great, Doc." Jesse replied with gratitude.

Knowing that Cooter and Daisy were on the search as well, and realizing that they too only had contact through CBs, Jesse then commenced to advise the doctor to contact the Hazzard Police Department should Luke show up. He figured someone there would take the call then get word to them through the CB.

"Just leave the number with Nancy at the admittance desk on your way out." Dr. Wilson then advised, patting Jesse softly on the shoulder. "Nothing going on except a slipped disc, Mr. Duke, but I think I would leave the searching to others. Kathleen should have those samples to you in a moment."

"Thank you doctor." Bo replied before the professional left to attend to other patients.

A few minutes later, Bo had Jesse seated in the emergency room waiting area while he went to see the clerk about Jesse's discharge papers as well as to leave the phone number for Dr. Wilson.

"Hey Cooter". He said, as the mechanic entered the hospital and walked up beside him. "I know when I called you about Jesse's back you were concerned but we didn't expect you to drive all the way down here."

As the two men commenced to talk, Kathleen arrived with the medicine samples and overheard their conversation.

"That ain't what brought me. Turns out I got a real interestin' lead that brought me right here to Chicasaw" Cooter announced as Bo perked up in interest. "I talked to Sammy who owns the junkyard here. Turns out he pulled a car off of Hackett's Mill Road before he left, one that sounds an awful lot like the one I let Luke borrow."

"He did?" Bo asked in excitement. "Well where is it?"

"In Atlanta."

"Atlanta?" Bo asked.

Cooter nodded. "Turns out his mom got sick soon as he had it hooked up and he had to make a quick trip down there."

"So he's not sure it's your car? Well I guess we can conclued that Luke wasn't in there, huh?"

"You'd be right about that, which means that our best bet is to skedaddle on over to Hackett's Mill road 'nd see what we can come up with."

"You bring the General with you?" Bo asked hopefully.

Cooter chuckled, holding up the General's key" Bo Duke, I can read your mind like an open book."

"Then what are we standing around for? Let's go!" Bo exclaimed, finalizing the billing paperwork before he left the phone number and went to assist Uncle Jesse on a rather rapid journey back to the pickup truck.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thirty minutes, it had to have been at least thirty minutes.

That's how much time Luke Duke had convinced himself had passed since he had last looked at the watch he had found laying on the end table. All that time, he had held and bounced an inconsolable infant. It seemed the baby had cried non-stop for an hour, but Luke realized that in all reality thirty minutes had to be more on the mark. Well, it was closer anyway. Reluctantly picking up the watch, he saw that it had been ten minutes.

All had initially went well after Kathleen had left four hours earlier. In that time span the baby had been fed-twice, diapers had been changed, the books had been read and songs had been sang. But now that the man with limited mobility had run out of bedside activities, the child seemed to be restless and bored. Luke couldn't imagine how anyone could anticipate the arrival of a perfect stranger such as Kathleen more than he did at that exact moment.

"C'mon Will, I'm your Dad, don'tcha know me?" Luke asked as he bounced the baby, wondering why he, no matter the situation, couldn't seem to find comfort in the arms of a parent. Luke simply concluded that, since he himself was in the dark as to his identity, that he couldn't make himself sound very convincing for the sake of the kid.

"Hey sounds like Mommy's home!" Luke exclaimed moments later having heard a car approach. The fact brought more relief to Luke than it seemed to Will.

Seconds after the sound of a car door was heard slamming the front door opened and Kathleen entered, looking around wild eyed.

"I can't get him to stop crying. I think he missed you." Luke immediately said, his nerves shot and ready to hand the child off to anyone.

Instead of responding, Kathleen simply looked in the direction of a small closet and opened the door. Taking only a moment to open the door below the sink, she pulled out a large garbage bag and opened it up before commencing to throw clothes inside.

"What are you doing?" Luke couldn't help but ask.

"I'm packing." Kathleen shot back. "We're moving……….right now!"

_**Well, 'least ole 'Jeremy' won't have to worry about fixin' up his house anymore.**_


	8. Chapter 8

"Moving?" Luke asked as he kept bouncing the baby while Kathleen continued to pack. "Why?"

"Cops………." She replied. "They showed up at the hospital today, asking if maybe you had been in. The car was gone this morning. I don't know if they found it or what, Jeremy, but we have to get out of here now!"

As the baby continued to wail, Kathleen finally looked at him as if she had only tuned into the sounds at that precise moment. Without a word, she exited the house and returned seconds later, hurriedly propping the crutches against the head of the bed before she took Will in her arms.

"There's a cardboard box under the sink. See if you can get it out and pack up all the cans from the pantry." Kathleen instructed as she put the baby in his own bed before pacifying the crying a few moments later with a teething biscuit. As she turned back to the closet, Luke got a feel for the crutches and slowly hobbled toward the sink.

"Where are we going?" Luke asked, having successfully extracted the box and placed it on the counter before opening a worn cupboard door.

"We're gonna go down to Acworth, lay low at Steve's place for awhile." She replied.

"Steve?" Luke questioned.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting." She fibbed. "Steve's my brother. He's an auto mechanic with an empty apartment above his shop. He said we could stay there and he'd provide groceries so long as you agreed to help him out free of charge. It might just work out for the best anyway. You'd be able to work without there being any employment paperwork for the cops to track you down. And I could go back to caring for Will.

While the thought of not being left alone with Will anymore sounded good to Luke, it was obvious to Kathleen that something else was on his mind, mostly because he stood there staring off into space, holding a can in his hand that he made no attempt to place back in the cupboard or into the box just below it. "What is it?" She asked.

"I remembered something." He replied.

Swallowing hard, she asked, "You did?"

"Yeah, it's when you's talkin' about the garage. I remember a garage with an apartment above it. No, well maybe………more like a loft?"

Kathleen simply shook her head as she continued to pack. "Hey apartment, loft, call it what you will. It's odd that your first memory is of Steve's garage, but at least it's coming back."

Impulsively kissing Luke as if the thought of his memory returning made her happy, she tied the bag off and hauled it out to the trunk of her car. Returning, Luke picked up the box from the pantry to hand to her, knocking a soda can off the counter in the process and busting it open.

"Never mind about that, just get in the car!" She advised as Luke briefly considered cleaning the spilled beverage out of unrecalled habit. About five minutes later, almosty everything Kathleen had brought to their temporary home had been ejected from it. Making her way out to the car, she made sure that her two 'men' were securely fastened in their seatbelts. Then, taking the seat behind the wheel of her white station wagon, she quickly drove away.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Where'd Sammy say he found that car?" Jesse asked, feeling much better thanks to the medicine samples as he examined his side of Hackett's Mill Road from the pickup truck, finding no sign of a recent accident.

"He didn't say, Uncle Jesse. He's so worried about his mom I was lucky to get as much information from him as I did." Cooter replied from the driver's seat.

"I ain't your Uncle Jesse." Jesse replied. "But I guess I can understand Sammy. Still, I wish he could have told more. This dang road's so unoccupied there ain't even a house ta pull over at ta see if the residents might'ave seen anything."

"Hey ya'll." Bo said, speaking into the C.B. from the General Lee that was ahead of the truck, watching as a white station wagon was coming toward them. "I'm gonna see if I can get this feller to slow down a little bit, we might could ask him if he's seen anything." He suggested, sticking his arm out of the General's window as he began to wave.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The waving arm off in the distance immediately brought Kathleen's attention to the General Lee, the car she recognized from the picture in Luke's wallet. With a short gasp, she turned to Luke and tried to remain casual.

"Uh, Jeremy?" She asked, knowing how quickly Luke's memory could come back with the right stimulation and wanting to divert his attention. "Look under the seat there and see if you can find the map."

"The map?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, the Georgia map. It's under there." She said, pointing under his seat as she slowed down in order to distance the time until the General passed her.

"You don't need a map to get to Acworth it ain't but 15 minutes down south 75." Luke announced, amazed that he could recall relatively unimportant directions while drawing a blank on something as simple as his name.

"Would you just humor me and get the map, _please_?" Kathleen insisted.

Not really in the mood to argue, Luke bent down and did as he was told. "I don't feel anything under here." He announced.

"Keep feeling, it's under there somewhere." She advised watching the General draw closer as Will began to cry in the backseat. Turning her attention to the infant, she unintentionally drifted into Bo's path.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Look out Bo!" Jesse exclaimed over the C.B..

Widening his eyes, Bo immediately put his hand back in the window and jerked the wheel to the right. As a tree appeared directly in his path, the only thing left to do was slam on the brakes and hope that the damage wouldn't be too severe.

XXXXXXXXXX

Turning back from the baby, Kathleen was horrified to see that she was on the wrong side of the road but also shocked that the General seemed to have disappeared. Turning back to the proper side, she glanced in her rearview mirror in time to see the orange stock car come to rest against a tree as a white pickup screeched to a halt behind it. As Luke raised his head to look at her, she stepped on the gas and hurriedly rounded a corner, out of sight of Bo and Jesse.

"Why the sudden hurry?" Luke asked.

"Oh, just wanna get out of here. Knowing the cops are around makes me nervous."

"Well you keep driving like this and there's gonna be one right at ya when he pulls you over for speeding.." Luke advised. "And I'm sorry but there just don't seem to be no map under this seat."

"Oh forget it. You said you knew where it was right?" She responded casually as she continued at a slightly slower speed, getting a confused look from her 'husband'.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You sure you're alright?" Jesse asked Bo as the three of them walked toward the river a few moments later.

"Not at the moment but that'll change soon as we fix tha General and get back to lookin' for Luke." Bo replied as the river came into view.

The men walked up to the riverside and stopped, staring for only a moment when Bo spoke up. "There's just one problem with us getting' water for that radiator."

"We ain't got nothin' to carry it in." Jesse verified, receiving a nod from Cooter. Looking toward the old mill, Jesse jutted a pinkie toward it. Maybe there's somethin' in there we can use."

But a quick search of the place turned up nothing but old, rotting boards that had been left to eventually wither away into the wilderness. "Hey Uncle Jesse." Bo then spoke up. "Didn't you tell us once that this old mill used to have a caretaker's shack out back?"

Jesse nodded. "That it did. As a matter of fact, it 'as your distant cousin Ben Baker that used ta live back there. Even if the shack's gone I wouldn't put it past Ben to have left an empty shine jug behind."

"Well that would do the trick. Lead the way." Cooter urged him.

After a short stroll around a wooded hill, the mill shack came into view, and standing a good distance ahead of it was an old well.

"You know, I'll bet we could use the bucket out of that well." Bo suggested.

"I betcha it fell apart a long time ago." Jesse verified. Even so, Bo grabbed onto the rope and began to hoist the bucket up, determined to see it for himself.

"Looks like we're in luck." Bo said a few minutes later, showing Jesse a full bucket of water that had emerged from the well.

"Well dump it out and we'll get some more back at the river. That thang's gonna be heavy with water and there ain't no use in us carryin' it no more than we have to.

Obliging, Bo turned the bucket over, and both men were surprised to see what appeared to be a wallet being disposed along with the water. But they weren't nearly as surprised then as they were a few moments later when they opened that wallet and found out exactly who it belonged to.

"Luke!?" Jesse yelled out, turning and jogging toward the shack as quickly as he could. But his rate was no match for Bo and Cooter, who bypassed his elderly man with the speed bestowed upon theirs youth. Throwing open the door, Bo looked around wildly as Cooter made his way inside, followed by Jesse.

"Is he in here?" Jesse asked.

"No, but it looks like someone was." Bo replied, noting that the sheets on the unmade bed were far too clean to have sat undisturbed for long.

"And fairly recently too." Cooter noted, finding the spilled cane of soda on the floor, its contents still fizzing against the worn linoleum. "But the place is plum cleaned out. If it was him that was here, don't look like he's got any intention of comin' back."

Bo banged his fist on the table in fustration. "Jesse, I don't know if Luke was in this cabin or not but it's obvious that whoever was knows something about him. I mean with his wallet in the well and all…….." Bo suddenly trailed off, grabbing onto Jesse's arm as a new thought came to his mind.

Cooter and Jesse, sharing the same thought, joined Bo as they ran outside. When they arrived at the well, Bo immediately stuck his head over the opening. "Luke! Luke!" He yelled.

"You really think he's in there?" Cooter remarked in horror.

"I don't know but I'm gonna find out." Bo replied, swinging his legs over the opening. Grabbing onto the rope that supported the bucket, he looked at Cooter. "Quick, but steady."

"You be careful." Jesse commanded as Cooter offered a confirming nod and grabbed onto the handle to keep the rope from unwinding too quickly.

Jesse felt horrified to think Luke might be in the bottom of that well, having been ambushed and left for dead for whatever reason.

But his horror increased even more when the worn well rope slowly began to unravel!

_**Ole' Bo always wanted to make a splash in the world, but I don't think this is what he had in mind.**_


	9. Chapter 9

"Bo!" Jesse yelled into the open well as a warning.

But no warning was needed as Bo knew exactly what was going on. He was close enough to the opening of the well that the sun offered him some light to his surroundings. Spying some twisted vines snaking down into the well, he managed to close his hand around one just as the rope broke, sending the bucket down with a hearty splash.

Digging his boots into the rock crevices, he pulled himself up enough that, in just a few moments, Cooter and Jesse were able to assist him by pulling him out by the arms. With his feet on firm ground once again, Bo turned to peer into the inky blackness of the well.

"You alright?" Uncle Jesse asked with concern.

"Yeah, but Luke might not be if I don't find another way to get down there!" Bo replied anxiously.

"Wait a minute. What did we do with that wallet?" Cooter asked.

"It's right here." Bo replied pulling it out from behind a wet jeans pocket.

"Let me see it." Cooter said.

Cooter took the wallet and opened it up. After examining the contents for a few moments, he looked at them. "Luke ain't in that well." He announced.

"How can you tell?" Jesse asked as Bo took off for the house. "Where you goin' Bo?"

"To look for rope. " Bo replied hurridly. "I'm sorry Cooter, but if Luke is down there, he could be in trouble. We can't make assumptions that he ain't based on somethin' you read in a dime store mystery novel."

"Actually ain't much for readin', Bo. My knowledge comes from pullin' my fair share of cars out of the Hazzard Car Wash." Cooter shot back, pulling out Luke's license and handing it to Jesse. "A driver's license is pretty good at surviving moisture, when it comes to a quick dunk or a spill. But immerse one in a pool of water for a day or so and that ain't the story anymore."

He pointed to the license which had become saturated and the ink had become runny….even underneath the durable plastic coating.

"And seein' how you pretty much found evidence that somebody left here recently, I'd say we'd do good to look around the house for more clues."

Realizing that time would no longer matter if Luke had indeed been in the well as long as the wallet, Bo reluctantly followed his friend and uncle back toward the house, praying that new clues might lead them in a different direction concerning Luke's whereabouts.

Arriving there, Cooter looked down at the ground around the steps while Jesse went inside to see what he could find. That left Bo to explore the small porch, doubting he would find anything with only a broken down rocking chair occupying the space.

"Say Bo." Cooter said after a minute. "What did Luke say he was gonna buy soon as he had the money?"

Bo shrugged. "A pair of new Durango boots. Why?" He asked, wondering why Cooter had any interest in Luke's shopping list at a time like this.

"And that's because every since the corner of his heel broke off, he keeps tripping." Cooter finished, pointing to the ground.

Bo came over to see what he was pointing at. There, from the steps out a little way, was a trail of a single boot print, a corner of a heel obviously missing. The two men followed the trail, until it abruptly ended where muddy car tracks began.

Despite that they were on a cold trail again, Bo couldn't help but grin a little. "Luke ain't in that well….he's off in a car somewhere!"

"Now who's been readin' mystery novels?" Cooter replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Although it was a warm afternoon, the sweat pouring freely from Steve Pritchett's face couldn't be blamed completely on the heat. As he worked diligently under the hood of the Rolls Royce, he cast a nervous glance toward his garage office. Through the window, he could see the owner of the Rolls sitting in the small waiting area, fingering through an issue of 'Life' magazine that was at least two years old. Snarling her nose, she turned the pages with her fingernails, acting as if the stained publication belonging to the garage had as many or more germs than the edge of the hard plastic seat on which she barely perched.

At first Steve had been extremely happy to see an upscale car pull into his garage. Even though the occupant had looked at him as if he were slightly better than dirt, he also realized that she was the type having little knowledge of cars and no interest in quibbling over the few dollars he would tack here and there on her bill. Those extra greenbacks would ensure that the loan for the new lift in his garage would be paid off a little faster.

Being in debt was something he both hated and avoided. As a matter of fact, he was so anxious to get rid of that loan that he had taken drastic measures to do so. For instance, the first thing he had done was to cancel his liability insurance so that he could contribute the hundred plus dollars he paid out monthly to the elimination of the note. After all, he had been in business six years and never once had he touched the policy. He figured he could do without it a few months.

That is, until today, when the phrase concerning insurance being 'It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.' was beginning to take on a very personal meaning.

Groaning, he extracted a spark plug. It was the fourth brand new plug he had tried to install in the same area and this one was coming back out the exact same way: with the threads all bent out of shape.

He had one heck of a time getting the old plug out, and each wasted new one was money lost. After all, spark plugs weren't cheap, that is unless you were comparing them to the cost of a new engine block. That's what Steve was going to end up buying if he had done what he thought he had to Miss Fancy Pants' car.

It was certainly shaping up to be a very bad day. And when a white station wagon occupied by his estranged sister and the family he had never met pulled up to the station, he quickly began debating on whether or not it was about to get worse.

Standing up straight, Steve took an oily rag from his pants pocket and began wiping his hands as his sister got out of her car. As she approached him, he felt like both hugging her without letting go and smacking some sense into her all at the same time. He had missed her, missed her a lot. But just the same, there had been many nights he had lay awake, cursing her for the pain she had caused their family all those years ago when she had walked out the door for the last time.

"Hello Steve." Kathleen offered.

"Well well." Steve smirked, the frustration over the Rolls declaring a winner in his emotional war. "Ain't this my lucky day? My long lost sister done showed up for a loving family reunion."

"Steve, I'm sorry." She offered.

"Aw, sorry for what?" Steve asked, turning his attention back to his work as he talked. "Sorry that you run off with that no account thief that stole all that money from Dad and Mom right out from under their noses? Or sorry that you told us that we could all take a flying leap into that eternal flame before you took off with him and disappeared for seven years?"

"Steve that was a long time ago. I was young and I was blinded by love. I realize now what a mistake I made."

"Oh when did that happen? When he finally ran off on you too?" Steve asked, shaking his head as he continued to work on the Rolls. "Ya know, it's kinda hard for me to believe you've realized your mistake…..especially when you come crawling back to me with a new criminal in tow."

Kathleen crossed her arms and pouted. "Well if you're so dead set against what I've done and who I'm with, why did you agree to let us have the apartment?"

"Because……." He continued, pulling out yet another ruined sparkplug. "No matter how I feel about what went on between us, the baby in that car is my nephew and he, at least, is deserving of a decent place to live. Besides, if that new husband of yours is the hot-shot mechanic you sold to me over the phone, I could really use his help around her, con man or not."

"So you really didn't do any of this for me?" Kathleen asked, hurt.

Steve slammed his tool down and turned to face her. "I'm doing a whole heck of a lot more for you than you ever thought about doing for me, let alone Mom or Dad. Now are you going to stand there pouting all day or are you gonna get that baby outta the car and next to the air conditioner?"

Without replying, Kathleen simply went back to the car and opened the door to extract Will. "Hey precious, looks like we're home!"

After a few moments spent getting out, Luke hobbled toward the garage and nodded at Steve before looking at the spark plugs. "Looks like you got yourself a mess of trouble there."

"Yeah I do only I ain't so sure it all has to do with the car." Steve replied, watching as his sister ascended the apartment stairs with Will in tow. Once she was out of sight, he decided to size Luke up, wondering how closely he was going to have to watch this man, who he assumed was a convicted theif.

Well, no matter what his new brother-in-law might eventually do, Steve decided that he and his possessions were safe so long as Luke was on the crutches. Still, the young man in the blue plaid shirt carried himself in a certain way and acted in a certain matter that made him seem trustworthy. He was either a very gifted actor or perhaps just a guy who, down on his luck, performed a crime out of desperation one day. Without meaning to, Steve began to let his guard down, decided that he would extract more information from him in due time.

Unaware that he was being examined under a microscope, Luke had picked up the latest discarded plug. "Just hang on, I think I can get it." He announced, laying the plug back down. Hobbling over to where Steve kept his tools, Luke pointed around to them before he found what he was looking for. Selecting the tool he sought, he went back over to the Rolls. Steve watched in amazement as Luke worked his magic. Before long, a new spark plug had been put firmly into place.

"How did you know how to do that?" Steve asked in amazement.

"I don't really know." Luke shook his head, unaware that he had used a trick he had witnessed Cooter Davenport using on more than one occasion.

Steve offered a huge grin of graciousness and relief. "Seems my sister was right when she bragged about your knowledge of cars! What else can you do?"

"Well…" Luke began.

"Sometime today?" The Rolls owner asked with more than a little sarcasm as she poked her head out of the office door.

Before Steve could answer, he saw a tow truck pulling onto the lot carrying a wreck.

"Look, if you don't mind I'm a little tired, and I can see that you're busy. Mind if we talk about this later?" Luke asked.

"No not at all." Steve replied, pointing toward the stairs. "Take all the time you need. Rolls is good to go now thanks to you."

Offering a slight smile, Luke went over and begin ascending the stairs. As he did so, Steve went into the office to finalize the service papers for the Rolls owner. After he had sent her on her way, the tow truck driver finally entered the office.

"Hey, long time no see." Steve said, greeting the man.

"Don't get around here much anymore. Not unless I have to." The driver replied.

"Yeah I heard."

"Which is why I'm here. All things considered, I was wondering if there's any way you could take over delivery of this car for me. Owner needs it real bad but with what's going on……."

Steve held up his hand. "Don't mention it. My brother-in-law's working for me now and I can get him to deliver it tomorrow." He announced, looking out the window at the black, wrecked car that was hooked to the back of the tow truck. "Just tell me where it needs to go, Sammy."

"Fella in Hazzard." Sammy replied. "Name's Cooter Davenport."

**_Well don't that just tie it up all nice and neat?_**


	10. Chapter 10

Having fallen asleep not long after ascending the stairs at Steve's shop, it took Luke a few moments to remember where he was when he returned to consciousness three hours later. Not that this place was any more familiar or unfamiliar than the previous place he had called home. He could only remember sleeping there once as well.

After he had stretched, Luke sat on the edge of the bed giving himself a few moments to get his wits about him. The nap seemed to have been just what he needed after the restless night followed by demanding infant care. Rubbing the sore spot where Kathleen had applied the stitches, he was happy to note that it along with his ankle were the only areas of his body still demanding attention for the abuse they had suffered. Hearing voices in the other room he rose from the bed. Testing his injured ankle, he managed to limp toward the bedroom door solely under his own steam, although it was with some effort.

"Hi sweetheart, you look like you feel a lot better." Kathleen announced from the couch where she sat next to a slender lady with short, blond hair who was playing pat-a-cake with Will.

"I feel a lot better." Luke admitted, limping over to an easy chair next to the couch while eying the stranger curiously.

"Jeremy, this is Steve's wife, Sandy." Kathleen announced.

"It's nice to meet you Jeremy. Oh, don't worry about it, please sit down." She continued after Luke made an effort to limp over and shake her hand.

Glad to have been spared the extra effort, Luke took the seat. "It's nice to meet you too, just wish it could have been under better circumstances."

"Well if that's what it took for Steve and I to get a chance to know Will, it was worth it." Sandy replied, tickling the baby who squealed. "Besides, it would be horrid for a man in your condition to have to be in jail and not even remember why it is he's there."

"You told them?" Luke asked, looking at Kathleen. Although he didn't remember the crime he supposedly committed, it was still a little embarrassing to be considered a felon.

"Think nothing of it." Sandy replied, waving her hand as if she were dismissing the subject. "Kathleen explained everything and I don't know many people who wouldn't have done the same thing in your situation."

Luke simply nodded, wondering what the 'situation' had been. Kathleen had never got around to explaining that part.

Sandy then turned her attention to Luke long enough to shake her head. "I simply can't imagine what you're going through right now. I mean, it's one thing not to remember the robbery, but to look at your own family and not even be able to remember them, it's……well I'm sure it must be heartbreaking for both of you." She ended by looking at Kathleen again before her face brightened.

"What are you thinking about?" Kathleen asked, recognizing the look in her estranged sister-in-law's eyes.

"I was thinking…..why don't you two head over to the cabin on Lake Altoona this weekend? It would be the perfect chance for you to relax and get to know each other again!"

As Luke and Kathleen looked doubtfully at Sandy, she continued. "The cabin is off by itself, so nobody would know you were there. You could just relax, take it easy and get to know each other again. And Will could stay here with us. We'd be happy to look after him!"

"I don't think I could do that." Kathleen announced.

"Sure you could! Steve's not in any big hurry for Jeremy's help. I mean, he's got a car he needs delivered to a fella north of here, but it can wait a couple of days. Besides, he's not gonna be much use to him anyway until that ankle heals a little better."

"No, Sandy. Will's our responsibility. I simply can't leave him behind." Kathleen insisted.

"Actually, I think it's a good idea. I mean, I hate it that we're married to each other and I can't even remember who you are. You deserve better than that." Luke admitted.

"I refuse to go anywhere without my son." Kathleen said sternly. Luke was a bit taken aback by her piercing stare, which seemed to be shooting invisible daggers in his direction.

Sandy looked back and forth between them. "Well how about I go along, then? It's a two bedroom cabin. I can at least act as Will's nanny while you two sneak some alone time."

Kathleen thought about it a few minutes. It was true that she would enjoy some alone time with Luke, and the cabin _was_ isolated. Coupled with Sandy's generous offer, there was really no good reason for her to say no.

Offering Luke a big smile, she turned to Sandy. "When do we leave?"

XXXXX

"What's all this?" Luke asked later that evening, having arrived at the cabin to find an intimate dining table set up with a tablecloth, candles, and a nice meal.

"Take out, if you must know." Sandy smiled, taking Will out of Kathleen's arms. "I only got here a couple of hours before you guys, so it's all I had time to do. But I don't think you'll be too disappointed. Nina's Café serves up the best food in the area."

"You didn't have to do this." Luke said, although he was grateful not only for the kindness of his 'sister-in-law', but for the food. He hadn't had a decent meal since the breakfast much earlier that day.

"Wait a minute, there's only two plates here." Kathleen observed.

"Oh I've eaten already. Besides, me and Will here have a date to walk the trail around the lake." She announced, digging around in the diaper bag for a bottle of milk. "It's a mighty long trail, so don't ya'll wait up for us." She added with a wink as she went out the cabin door, closing it silently behind her.

Luke grinned and shook his head as he watched the door close. "That sister-in-law of yours is something else." He commented, turning back to Kathleen.

"Sandy's a gem." Kathleen nodded, looking toward the table. "And you're in for a real treat if Nina's still serves up food like they used to."

"Well let's find out if they do." Luke replied, pulling out a chair for Kathleen before he hobbled over to his own. Taking his seat, he took a good look at the spread for the first time, noticing the candles had been lit, the napkins were cloth and the food was the type that would be more on the expensive side. "I feel a little underdressed." He chuckled, looking at his torn plaid shirt and jeans.

"You and me both." Kathleen replied, noting that she had never changed out of the nurse's uniform she had worn to work much earlier that day.

"Well then." Luke replied, popping out the champagne cork before pouring out a glass for himself and for Kathleen. "Here's to a casual, yet elegant meal."

"And to new beginnings." Kathleen added, clinking their glasses together.

Luke smiled at her before he took a drink of his champagne. Then admiring the cabin, he glanced toward the door and noticed Will's jaket draped over a nearby chair. "Sandy forgot the baby's jacket."

"Oh it's fine. It's not that cool out." Kathleen replied.

"Well not yet, but it will be when it gets dark." Luke replied. Standing up, he limped over to the chair and plucked up the blanket. "She couldn't have gone far. I'll be right back." He announced before going out the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

"How you doin' Matt?" Anthony asked as he walked up to where his brother sat, fishing from the shore of Lake Altoona.

"Huh?" Matt asked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh, bad day. I ain't catchin' nothin'." He replied, casting the line in once again.

Having noticed something, Anthony extracted the pole from Matt's hand and immediately reeled it back in. "Well it might help if you actually baited the thing." He said, dangling the bare hook in the air in front of his brother's face.

"Oh." Matthew chuckled, the act being more of an automated response than a display of humor. Anthony watched as he bent down and fished a cricket from the bait cage, the first one, apparently, from the look of the amount still crawling around.

Anthony laid a hand on his shoulder as Matt baited the hook. "Try to relax, Matt. Things got scary there for awhile but everything's alright with Grandma now. Doc said she should be back home by the end of the week.

"It ain't that." Matt confessed as he cast the line. "It's that fella I put off the side of the road."

Anthony rolled his eyes. "There you go again, little brother. You didn't put nobody off the road. Guy was on your side."

"I ain't gonna argue about that no more." Matt informed him. "I'm just feel like I should be out helping to look for him. Every since Uncle Sammy told us that his friend, that Davenport fella, was needin' that car because it sounded like the one his missing friend had been driving, well, if that missing friend is one and the same, then that tells me he's still gotta be out there somewhere."

"Well, Sammy also said he told Mr. Davenport where he found the car, and the guy's family is looking for him. If that's him and he's still down there they'll find him before long."

"Yeah well……"

"Shhhhh. Someone's coming!" Anthony exclaimed as Matt began getting a bite on the line. Tugging on the second bite, he began reeling it in just as Sandy appeared on the trail with the baby.

"Nice catfish ya got there, Matt." Anthony said nonchalantly, trying to change the subject in order to throw the lady off.

"Look here, Will." Sandy smiled, bringing the baby over to the fish. "This young man just caught a catfish. See it's whiskers?" She continued as Matt voluntarily held the line up so the baby could see the fish.

"Hey Sandy!"

As the boys turned toward the voice, their mouths dropped open. The man who limped toward the woman carried a small jacket.. He didn't sound familiar, but he sure looked familiar.

He was the guy they'd seen unconscious in the mangled car!

_**Looks like Matt got his wish. He just participated in the easiest search and rescue ever. Kid didn't even hafta get up.**_


	11. Chapter 11

Sammy had just buttoned his shirt and adjusted his collar when he heard a knock on the door. Stepping around the bed, he walked over to the door of his motel room.

"Cooter Davenport! Long time no see." Sammy exclaimed, accepting the both hand that Cooter offered him along with the couple of pats on his shoulder.

"Hey Sammy. You remember Jesse and Bo?" Cooter asked, motioning to the men who stood behind him."

"Sure do. How ya'll doin'?" Sammy asked.

"Fine, just fine. Heard your mom was sick, Sammy. Hope she's doin' better." Jesse replied.

"A lot better, Mr. Duke. Thanks for your concern." Sammy said. "How 'bout you all? Any luck findin' Luke?"

"That would be a negatory." Cooter sighed. "Which is why we come down here to pick up that car you's tellin' me about."

"Because if it's the one Luke was drivin', we thought there might be somethin' in there that could maybe tell us where he is." Bo clarified.

"'Cause we've plum run out of ideas on where he could be." Jesse added.

"Well, I didn't figure ya'll come all the way to Atlanta just to ask about mom. Last time I checked long distance charges was still cheaper than gas prices." Sammy chuckled. "Follow me out to the tow truck and I'll take ya to it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A short while later they were all at Steve's garage in Acworth. While Steve had taped a note to his door stating that he was out to lunch, the wrecked car was still on the lot, out in the open for them to examine.

"Yep, that's definitely my car." Cooter announced, walking up to the wreck and patting a fender that was adorned with two jagged, rusty scratch marks more than a few years old. "Put these on here myself in the first annual J.D. Hogg Derby."

Bo struggled to speak as he looked up at the smashed up jalopy that would no longer be fit for anything other than the junkyard. "Un…..Uncle Jesse, look at that thing. How could Luke have……."

"He did." Jesse replied, cutting Bo off. "I mean, he had to. Otherwise he'd been found in the car, right?"

"Hey ya'll." Cooter said, pulling his head out of the driver's door window after a short interior inspection. "I hate to lay any more on ya, but this steerin' wheel's got blood on it."

Jesse and Bo went forward as if they had to see the stain for themselves.

"Well wherever he is, he's hurt. That confirms it." Jesse reluctantly admitted.

"That is, if it is his blood. Don't forget some guy could'a stole the car from him and wrecked it himself."

"Oh well I suppose that should make me feel a whole lot better, Cooter." Bo replied sarcastically as he slapped the car. "Maybe you're right and Luke wasn't in that car. Maybe somebody shot him for it and left him layin' in a ditch somewhere instead."

"So if Luke's layin' in a ditch somewhere, how would that explain the bootprint we found?" Cooter reasoned, although it was with a short tone.

"Bo………" Uncle Jesse trailed off.

Bo didn't have to look at Uncle Jesse to know that he expected him to soften his attitude. "I'm sorry Cooter." He replied, giving the mechanic a light hug. "I'm just worried about Luke, ya know?"

"I know." Cooter replied as a small pickup truck pulled into the parking lot of the garage. The friends pulled apart and turned to look at it with little emotion, all except for Sammy, who frowned in confusion.

"Now why are them boys……"

"Uncle Sammy!" Matt replied, leaping out of the truck so fast that it would be hard to determine if it had actually come to a full stop beforehand. "Uncle Sammy, we gotta talk to you!"

"Slow down, Matt!" Sammy exclaimed as the young man took some much needed breaths. "What in the world are you two doin' in Acworth? I thought your Pop sent ya fishin' at the lake today."

"That's what we come to talk to you about Sammy." Anthony added, having joined the group. "That guy….the one that's in that wrecked car…….we saw him!"

"You saw the guy that was in _this _car?" Sammy asked, pointing to Cooter's wreck.

"Wait a minute, how do they know anything about him?" Cooter had to ask.

"Never mind that for now, Cooter! Didn't you hear what these boys was sayin'?" Jesse asked.

"They're sayin' they saw Luke!" Bo emphasized, as if Cooter actually had trouble comprehending the situation.

"Luke?" Anthony asked. "No, we heard somebody else callin' him Jeremy."

"Sounds like someone did take the car." Jesse pondered.

Bo quickly extracted his wallet from his pocket. "Did he look anything like this?" He asked, hurriedly pulling out a picture he had of Luke.

"Yeah….yeah that's the guy." The boys confirmed.

"Well where is he?" Cooter asked.

"He's over at the lake." Matt replied.

"Did he look hurt?" Jesse asked.

"We'll figure that out when we see him for ourselves. Let's go!" Bo insisted as each member of the party went to their vehicles, vehicles that would each suffer unusual engine abuse as the party made a beeline for Lake Allatoona.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You know……" Luke trailed off as he stopped paddling the rowboat and sat gazing at the sunset.

"No I don't know, but I'm dying to hear." Kathleen replied with a laugh as she observed Luke's eyes, the blue even more obvious as he watched the sky being magically painted with red and orange hues.

Luke chuckled a bit at his flub. "I'm sorry. I was just gonna say that…….that this has been a nice evenin', ya know? To tell you the truth, I didn't have much hope for it…not with this amnesia and all."

Well the last part was a bit of a fib. While it was true Luke hadn't expected much from the evening, it wasn't because of his condition. It was mostly because his 'wife' seemed strange at times. She could be sweet one minute, secretive the next, and at times almost demanding. Luke hadn't been sure how to take her before and, in fact, had began to wonder what he would have ever seen in a woman such as her. But with the baby out of the way, clearing some time for them to have dinner, play a game of cards, and talk as they rounded the lake then paddled the boat away from the shore, she seemed to be letting her guard down, displaying some characteristics that Luke would find appealing.

And the more time she spent with him, the more appealing Luke became to Kathleen as well. Without even planning it out, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips.

When it wasn't returned with much enthusiasm, she leaned back and tried to act more nonchalant than she felt. Already mentally preparing herself for the rejection, she was surprised to find herself looking at Luke once again as he came forward for a kiss of his own!

But it was ended much too soon when the sound of a siren could be heard in the far distance, instinctively separating them. When it faded away and they realized that 'Jeremy' wasn't in any sort of danger, they relaxed and shared a nervous chuckle.

"That was nice." Kathleen said after a few moments.

"Yeah." Luke simply replied, already lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Kathleen asked.

"Well………" Luke trailed off. "This is such a nice evenin' that I hate to ruin it, but maybe you oughtta tell me about them cops that's huntin' me at the hospital today. That way if I see 'em out and about I'll know to stay away from 'em."

"Oh…..I suppose that makes sense." Kathleen admitted, both welcoming and dreading the opportunity all at the same time. Greedy when it came to her new man, but still leery of the fact that Luke's memory could come back with the proper stimulation, she wanted to tell him enough details about his family that he would know to stay far away from them, but at the same time wanted to keep the description as simple as possible in order to thwart any memories. "Well they seem to be working undercover. It's an older man and a younger one, kinda tall. As a matter of fact, I think it's the same two that caught you before. I remember that orange car they drove."

"Orange car?" Luke cringed. "Who in their right mind would paint a car orange?"

Kathleen fought hard to hide a smile and managed to shrug her shoulders. "I don't know, but I figure that might be why the color is such a vivid part of your memory."

A memory seemed to be fighting to make itself known, but Luke eventually stopped concentrating as a new headache threatened him. "I think I might be ready for a little rest, Kat. It's been a long day."

"Okay, Jeremy." She sighed in relief, afraid for awhile that she may have revealed too much.

They rowed silently back toward the cabin dock, opting instead to enjoy the remaining display of the sunset, the last calls of the birds to one another, and………..the faraway sound of someone shouting.

In confusion, Luke turned toward the shore. A good distance away stood several people, appearing as if they were flagging him down. While he was too far away to make out any features, he did see that amongst them was a tall youth accompanied by an elderly man.

"You don't think….." Luke trailed off.

"I think so!" Kathleen exclaimed. "Let's get out of here quick!"

Luke immediately began to paddle toward the cabin as fast as he could, and in the exact opposite direction from the observers. Taking several instances to check on his progress and their whereabouts, he was shocked to see the two in question flag a nearby fisherman down and somehow talk their way into the use of his motorboat. In moments, they had began the slow but sure treck toward the duo.

In response, Luke paddled even harder toward the dock. Getting closer to shore, he figured he could at least jump out and climb the bank if worse came to worse.

And then it happened. The rowboat they traveled in came to an abrupt halt!

As the couple paddled backward, then forward, it became more than obvious that they were hung up on some sort of underwater obstacle. Considering himself too chivalrous to abandon a lady to a stuck boat, despite the circumstance, Luke wasted no time as he jumped overboard and into the water, holding his breath and keeping his eyes open to observe the problem.

The problem turned out to be a tree in the water. Now that he knew what it was, Luke vaguely remembered a haphazardly cut stump on the shoreline. Apparently the tree had uprooted at some point and the lake caretakers had simply been content to get it off the path, not especially concerned with where it would eventually rot away.

And now some of the branches of that weeping willow tree had bowed back, balancing the little rowboat perfectly as if it were a dish on a pedestal at a fine meal.

Luke kicked over and quickly worked on the branches, pushing them away as he gave the rowboat pushed back toward the deeper part of the lake.

Just as Luke's lungs were burning for air, he finally knocked the last branch away. Kicking toward the surface, he was surprised when his effort was quickly halted.

In surprise, he looked down. He was shocked to see that a cluster of the thin willow branches had somehow encircled his ankle!

Luke pulled and pulled, but the effort seemed fruitless. Finally, he sought out his pocket knife.

But eventually, the lack of air was too much for him. As he struggled with the blade, he felt himself getting lightheaded as the last of the sunlight slipped below the horizon, bringing complete darkness to Lake Alltoona.

_**Ya know, that boy's had it pretty rough. 'Bout time he had a break.**_


	12. Chapter 12

A surge of adrenaline enveloped Luke as he felt the remnants of his oxygen supply deplete. Giving the trapped ankle a swift tug, he untwined some of the vines that had snagged him, being able to use the knife to blindly slash the few that still held firm.

Once he was free of the last vine he kicked to the surface and hungrily gulped the air, hoping that the 'cops' weren't close as it would be a few moments before he would be physically capable of an escape. Blinking the water away from his eyes, he used the light of the moon to find out that Kathleen had paddled a short distance away while their pursuers were closing in fast.

"Can't this thing go any faster, Uncle Jesse?" Bo asked, the wind whipping through his hair as he squinted to observe darkened outlines on the blackened lake.

"I got it at top speed. Can you see anything? You think that was Luke?" Jesse asked as he strained to see himself.

"It sure looked like him." Bo replied.

"Jeremy!" They heard the woman in the boat yelled out in the darkness.

Kathleen scanned the waters with frantic eyes as the men who she recognized as Luke's family loomed closer in their own boat. Luke was taking a long time to emerge…enough so that she was beginning to assume he had successfully escaped onto the banks of the lake. She couldn't decide if she should go on that theory and row away or to dive in and start looking for him.

Just as Jesse and Bo arrived on the scene, she heard a faraway splash and the sound of heavy breathing, broken up by an occasional cough.

And Bo was close enough to have heard it too.

"Lu-." He yelled out, never getting to finish his cousin's name.

Because that's when Kathleen brought her oar up, hitting Bo in the head and knocking him over the side!

Reacting instinctively, Bo began to grab for anything as he felt himself leave the boat. When his hand successfully grasped the boat's edge, the force of the pull along with the fact that Jesse had leaned over that particular side at seeing Bo's fate was enough to tip the little motorboat over, giving Jesse a dunk of his own!

In just the course of a few seconds Bo found himself going from being alright to being in tremendous pain, oxygen-depleted, and in fear for his uncle. Although his eyes were opened, the darkness didn't allow him to see a thing. And while Kathleen's oar had left a gaping gash that was impossible to ignore, Bo willed the pain away as he swung his arms through the black waters, feeling for his Uncle.

After a few agonizing seconds, panic began to set in to Bo. Not only because he couldn't seem to find Jesse, but because he felt himself losing consciousness. Consciousness that he was sure would have already been gone had such dire conditions failed to exist around him. Conditions that somehow prevented his body from what it wanted to do naturally, which was to succumb to darkness. .

And as his body finally gave in to that natural instinct, the last thought that floated through Bo's mind was, if that was Luke they had seen, Lake Allatoona may very well be claiming all the Duke men that night.

XXXXX

Moments later Kathleen had rowed over to Luke and assisted him into the boat.

"C'mon, we gotta get outta here!" She exclaimed.

"Wait a minute!" Luke exclaimed. "I know them guys are after me but….well, we can't just leave 'em out there. They could drown."

"Don't worry, I saw 'em hangin' onto the side of the boat." Kathleen lied. "Let's just get the baby and get back to the garage before the figure out where you are."

XXXXXXXXXX

As Sandy rocked Will in the rocking chair by the fireplace, she was startled to see a drenched Kathleen and Jeremy rush into the cabin.

"What in the world happened to you?" Sandy asked.

"Where are the keys?" Kathleen replied, searching through the pockets of various pieces of clothing.

"Where are you going?" Sandy pressed.

"Looks like the cops found out where we are." Luke replied as water continued to drip from his hair and clothes

"Oh no!" Sandy exclaimed, quickly laying Will on the bed. As the baby wailed at suddenly loosing his comfort, the three adults continued to search the small cabin for the keys which, of course, weren't easily found considering they were in a hurry to leave.

After a few seconds, Luke discovered them lying on the chair by the front door where he had found Will's jacket much earlier that night.

With keys in hand, Luke went out to start the car as Kathleen rushed over to the bed to pick up Will.

"Leave him with me, you'll get away faster." Sandy suggested.

"I can't Sandy." Kathleen replied. "If they found Will with you, they'd know we had been in contact and that could get you in trouble as well. Besides, considering how close the cops are, we might find ourselves having to find somewhere else to hide out."

Sandy simply nodded as she took a key from her own chain and handed it to Kathleen. "If they happen to follow you, shake them. Then go back to the garage anyway and switch out the car for the tow truck." She shrugged her shoulders and offered a slight smile. "Wreck's still hooked up to it. Maybe Jeremy can just go ahead and deliver it, since, ya know, ya'll won't be doing anything important."

Kathleen took a moment to offer her sister in law a sidelong glance before they shared a chuckle and a hug. "Now go on. "Sandy insisted. "I'll stay here and offer a cover should they come around asking questions."

XXXXXXXXX

"Bo."

"Bo c'mon now."

From far away, the youngest Duke boy heard those words. It sounded like his Uncle Jesse but the voice was faint and distorted, as if he were listening to it through a wall or a drum. Instinct told him it was vitally important to get to the source of that voice but there was something……..something he couldn't identify…….in the way of that journey.

Moments later he felt a strange sensation. It was like an explosion had ripped through the place. He didn't hear a loud boom but he suddenly felt an enormous amount of pressure on his body, followed by an enormous amount of liquid spilling down the side of his face as his lungs released their hold on the water that had collected within.

"You alright now?" A dripping Cooter asked, looking at his friend in concern as Sammy stood nearby with a flashlight in hand.

"What happened?" Bo asked as they sat him up on the bank of the lake, wincing when Uncle Jesse pressed on his head wound.

"We's out on the lake seein' if that feller was Luke when that lady whapped ya in the head and we turned over in the boat. Cooter here dove in and found ya and had ta perform rescue breathin' ta bring ya back around."

"How'd you get out, Uncle Jesse?" Bo asked, still a bit groggy.

"Whaddaya mean how'd I git out? Swimmin's like ridin' a bike, you never forget." Jesse retorted as the sound of a car starting up sounded behind him.

The sound caused several curious heads to turn in that direction. Without a word, Bo got up and took a few steps toward where the General had been parked before he stopped and wobbled, almost losing his balance.

"Whoa!" Uncle Jesse replied, steadying him before he took a plunge. "We need to get you to a hospital."

"Uncle Jesse that could be Luke!"

"Well we don't know that for sure." Jesse argued.

Seconds later after having disappeared unnoticed, Matthew emerged from some bushes that separated the lake trail from the narrow road that offered access to several cabins. "That was him! That was that Jeremy guy, Luke, whatever his name is!"

Now it was Cooter's turn to hurry. Taking Bo under his right arm to offer him support, he quickly led him back to the General Lee, Uncle Jesse, Sammy, and his nephews taking up the rear.

"Sammy, I want you to get on a C.B. or find a phone and call the local police. Give them a description of that car, tell 'em what's happening, and see if they can help us stop him." Cooter demanded, performing the task of seeing that Jesse and Bo were secured inside the General as he spoke.

"What about us? What can we do?" Anthony asked in excitement as Matt nodded.

"Ya'll can help that poor fisherman retrieve his boat." Sammy replied, to which they frowned.

"And tell 'em to send the bill to Cooter's Garage in Hazzard should he have any damages!" Cooter shot out before he climbed in the General himself, taking off down the road in pursuit of who he assumed was Luke.

XXXXXX

"Aw, shoot!" Looks like they're followin' us!" Luke exclaimed as he drove the narrow lake road as quickly as he could.

"We've got to lose them Jeremy!" Kathleen exclaimed.

Punching the gas, Luke barreled ahead as Cooter struggled to catch up. All the while, the baby wailed, stressing already thin nerves.

Clearing the resort area and finding themselves back on one of the main thoroughfares, Kathleen guided Luke back to the Acworth garage, explaining Sandy's plans to switch the car out for the tow truck. Luke thought it was probably a pretty good idea since his wild driving had caused more than one car to swerve to avoid being hit, no doubt resulting in a report to the police.

"Okay Jeremy, just around the corner up there then the garage is on the right." Kathleen advised him.

"Which corner?" Luke asked, trying to hurry in unfamiliar territory while in total darkness.

"That one, slow down!" Kathleen exclaimed while pointing.

Seeing that he had come up on his turn more quickly than he had expected, Luke slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel as much as he could, but it was too little too late.

The car skidded sideways, bouncing over a curb and smashing into a tree!

_**Ole Luke's been in enough wrecks it seems like one of 'em would jar memories of the J.D. Hogg Demolition Derby, don't it? **_


	13. Chapter 13

As the car came to an abrupt halt, Luke felt his head bob from side to side, leaving little doubt that he would be feeling the full effects of whiplash after a good night's sleep.

Shaking his head, he attempted to clear it of the dizziness as Will wailed from the backseat. Unlatching his seatbelt, he took a brief instant to rub his hand across his face as he tried to bring enough sense to himself to check on the well being of the child.

Luke fumbled around with the unfamiliar car until he finally located the switch that brought the interior light to life, glad that it was still in working order. Turning around, he leaned over his seat and to attend to the child, holding him still as he gave him a decent yet prompt examination.

"It's okay Will, I don't see a scratch on ya." Luke tried to sooth the infant even as he turned the child's legs and arms over and his head around to check for possible cuts. It didn't take but a few seconds to diagnose the infant with nothing more than a severe case of the frights.

Suddenly realizing that Kathleen wasn't hovering over her son in fear of his injuries, he quickly turned his attention to her and found her slumped against the door that had received the brunt of the damage from the tree.

"Kat?" He whispered, moving in front of her to get a good look. Taking her face in his hand, he was horrified to bring it away again and find blood on his fingertips.

"Good Lord." He stuttered as he heard someone pounding on the window behind him.

When the passer-by who stood outside saw the dark haired man turning to face him, the obvious blood on Luke's upturned hand answered the question he had planned to ask. "I'm going to call an ambulance!" He informed Luke.

Without waiting for a nod, the stranger dashed back to the car that he had pulled over abruptly at seeing the crash. Luke turned his head back to Kathleen when he heard her release a slight moan.

"Kat!" He exclaimed again. "Don't move, ambulance is on the way."

"Jeremy?" She said, a bit confused. "Where's Will? How is he?"

"He's screaming his head off but he's alright." Luke replied. "Just scared. Try to stay still till the ambulance gets here, in case there's anything broken."

"Jeremy." She whispered again. "Take Will and go……before they get here."

"What?" Luke asked in disbelief.

"Get the baby and go." She whispered again. "Steve's place is just around the corner. You……….you should be able to run there and take the tow truck just like we planned."

"You're not making any sense Kat!" Luke exclaimed. "You're hurt and you're bleeding. I can't just leave you here."

"Please Jeremy." She replied. "If you stay here they're going to catch you. If you care about me in the slightest………….then please take the baby and go, so that we can be together again when I am well."

"Ambulance should be here in just a few minutes." The stranger said as he stood outside their window once again.

The crash had diverted Luke's attention, but when he suddenly recalled the events that led to the wreck in the first place, he realized why Kat wanted him to get away. "Okay I'll go but I'm leaving Will here. He looks fine but it's probably a good idea for him to be checked on."

"No Jeremy." Kathleen pleaded. "Take him."

"Kat…." He trailed off.

"Don't waste time arguing, just please take him with you."

Knowing that time was precious and not wanting to upset her further considering her injury, he nodded. "Okay okay." Luke said, soothing her when he saw that she was becoming upset. Finding a clean place on her face to kiss her, he then forced the door open before he reached back and plucked Will up.

"Stay with her." He ordered the stranger, who stood in confusion as he watched Luke dash off into the darkness with a baby in tow. But he didn't have long to ponder the situation as a car which appeared to be orange in color and bearing the number 01 on the doors screeched up beside him in the darkness.

"Luke! Luke!" Cooter exclaimed, quickly climbing out of the window and dashing over to the wreck as Bo struggled onto the doorframe. Finding no one inside other that Kathleen, he turned to the good Samaritan, suddenly assuming it had been him instead of Luke in the car as they had thought.

"You alright?" Cooter asked. "Need me to call an ambulance?"

"Ambulance is on the way, but it wasn't me." The Samaritan replied. "Guy in the car guy just took off runnin'. Went that way." He said, pointing in the direction of the garage. "Carryin' the baby with him."

"Baby?" Bo asked.

"Never mind, jist git back in the car and let's see if we can find him. That boy's actin' plumb loco and I want some answers." Jesse replied as sirens of both the police and an ambulance sounded in the distance. "Think you can handle it, Bo?"

"I'm feeling better, Uncle Jesse." Bo said as he slid back inside in anticipation of finding Luke.

Cooter passed the ambulance and the police cruiser they had asked Sammy to call earlier as he drove in the direction in which Luke had ran.

"Where could he have gone?" Bo muttered as the three of them peered through the darkness with no more than an occasional streetlight to aid in the search.

Seeing the movement of a familiar man to his side, Cooter simply answered by skidding to a halt in the front of Steve's Acworth garage. As he watched Luke place the baby in the cab of the tow truck he found it ironic that his friend had ended up right back where they had discovered the wrecked loaner earlier, having no clue of his connection to the place.

Thinking quickly, Cooter turned into the parking lot to block the tow truck from leaving.

What he didn't realize was that Luke wasn't paying much attention to anything else other getting Will in the cab and taking off.. As soon as he had strapped Will into the truck he slammed the door and ran around the front, headed toward the driver's side.

"Cooter look out!" Bo exclaimed as he watched Luke dart in front of the tow truck.

And the sound of Bo yelling and the squealing of tires were the last things Luke heard before the General tapped against him with just enough speed to cause him to lose his footing, throwing him into the tow truck where he cracked his head and lost consciousness.

XXXXXXXX

The lights were bright and the voices unfamiliar when Luke woke up again. As he opened his eyes, the fuzzy orbs that swam in front of him morphed into bright, circular shaped examining lights, perched above the bed where he lay.

"How are you feeling?" A man in a long white coat asked as he draped a stethoscope around his neck.

"My son." Luke replied. "Where's my son? Where's Will?"

"The baby is fine. One of the nurses is feeding him." The doctor replied. I'm Dr. Lunsford and my concern is with you right now, with finding out how you are. You took a pretty good bump to the head, one of several it seems." He added, gently examining the area where Kathleen had sewn him up a couple of days before. Now suppose we start off with you telling me your name."

"Name's Jeremy. Jeremy Robinson." Luke replied.

"Did he say Robinson?" A police officer asked, stepping into the room from where he had stood waiting outside. "You're Kathleen Robinson's husband, I presume?"

"Yes sir." Luke replied.

"How long do you think he will be here?" The officer asked, turning to Dr. Lunsford.

"Well, I'd like to observe him for a bit, just to be on the safe side. But his tests look good. I have a feeling we'll be able to discharge him in just a few hours."

"And when you do, make sure that the discharge is to an officer of the Cobb County Sheriff's Office."

"An officer?" Luke asked. "Why?"

"Because." He replied. "You're under arrest."

**_Luke under arrest. Now that's a unique cliffhanger, ain't it? _**


	14. Chapter 14

"Arrested? What for?" Luke asked.

"That's what I'd like to know officer!" Uncle Jesse announced after he, Bo and Cooter had entered the examining area.

"Luke!" Bo grinned, unable to help himself as he rushed forward and enveloped his cousin in a brotherly hug. "Are you alright? Gosh, we sure have been worried about ya."

"Luke?" The officer asked with a frown on his face.

"Luke." Luke whispered even as he was being hugged by Bo. "Luke……Luke….." He trailed off as his expression morphed from confusion to realization. "Luke!" He exclaimed, pushing Bo away and pointing to himself in excitement. "Luke! I'm Luke Duke! Ha Ha!" He laughed, jumping off of the table even as the doctor instinctively moved to hold him down. Turning right back to Bo, he was the one administering a squeezing hug this time. "You're my cousin, Bo! And you……" He added, turning to grab Jesse in a hug that relieved him of his red hat. "…………., you're my Uncle Jesse!"

As Luke turned his excitement to Cooter, the mechanic held his hands up. "Hey I'm glad to see you too and I know we're at the hospital and all that, but that don't mean I'm too keen on lettin' your enthusiasm land me a room here." He advised as his mouth morphed into a grin. Luke let out a hearty, yet calm, laugh after the revelation and embraced his friend without crushing him.

"Is this some sort of a prank?" The officer snarled. "Two minutes ago I verify your identity, and all of a sudden it changes when mention of an arrest is made?"

"But I'm not Jeremy I really am Luke Duke." Luke argued. "It's all coming back to me now. I was in a car wreck, coming home from my Marine reunion………Kathleen came along, she took care of me. I didn't know who I was. She told me I was Jeremy." He rapidly explained, patting around on his pockets in search of his wallet as the officer stood there with his arms crossed. "Why did she do that?" He mostly asked himself.

"So amnesia's to blame fer what we've been through." Jesse nodded in realization

"Looking for this Luke?" Bo asked, extracting Luke's wallet that he had held on to since they found it at the old well, the one in front of the cabin where Luke had first been cared for. Luke gratefully took the wallet, frowning only a bit in confusion at it's soaked condition. Pulling out his license he noted how smeared the writing was, but it wasn't so far gone that it could prevent the officer from identifying both the image and the name.

"And I can also assure for you, officer, that when his family brought him here they identified him as Luke Duke." Dr. Lunsford added before a nurse parted the curtain and asked to speak to him outside.

"And Dr. Wilson from the Tri-County hospital could probably come here and identify him as well." Jesse theorized as the doctor made his exit.

The officer held up his hands. "I don't think any of that will be necessary. You'll definitely need a replacement license, but this pretty much proves who you say you are." He added, handing the card back to Luke. "Now the only problem is finding the real Jeremy Robinson. He's was wanted for robbery, now for jailbreak. Kid should have just sat it out, he only liked a couple of months. Now he'll go back for at least five."

Just then, Dr. Lunsford re-entered the room with a rather solemn expression on his face. "Terrible news, folks." He announced. "I've just been informed that Mrs. Robinson has died."

"Died?" Luke repeated after a few moments before he stumbled backward and was caught by Cooter.

"Easy Luke." Jesse said, reaching over to help him back to his feet. "You alright?"

"No." Luke shook his head, turning to his uncle. "Uncle Jesse I was driving that car. If Kat has died then that means that I………"

"Hang on son." Dr. Lunsford interrupted, holding up his hand. "Mrs. Robison's passing is tragic nonetheless, but it wasn't your fault. It seems she took her own life."

"She was only supposed to stay overnight for observation." A nurse said, taking over the conversation as she entered the room with Will. "There weren't any serious injuries other than the head wound. But for whatever reason, she chose to cut her IV line, which sent an air bubble to her heart."

"Patients of sound mind who choose to go that way know exactly what they're doing." Dr. Lunsford assured Luke.

"Of sound mind?" Luke asked as Will fell into his arms, having reached for the only familiar face in the room. "The woman convinced a man with amnesia that he was her husband. How sound could her mind have been?"

"Nevertheless we now have other issues to deal with, namely the placement of this child in temporary foster care until some of his family is located." The officer announced. "Can you watch him while I make the arrangements?" He asked the nurse.

"I'll watch him." Luke assured the officer.

While the nurse, doctor, and officer left to attend to matters concerning Kathleen and Will, Cooter volunteered to use the lobby payphone to call Daisy with the latest update on Luke. While they were all gone, Luke held the baby in his arms and held out his hand, which Will slapped with continuous fives.

"What's gonna happen to Will, Uncle Jesse?" Luke asked.

"Well with his daddy on the run and his momma passed, we can only hope that some of his family can take him in." Jesse replied.

"I'll be back in a minute, I'm going after a drink." Bo announced, thinking that Luke might want a few moments with Will. When he parted the curtain, he stopped short at seeing a petite blond standing there.

"Oh I'm sorry." She said, looking up at Bo. "I'm Heather Greer. This is Kate Shipman." She added, nodding to the other blonde who stood behind her. "We worked with Kathleen as nurses at the Tri-County Hospital. When we heard she had been in an accident, we wanted to come and offer our support. We're shocked beyond words to hear what has happened."

"We were all such good friends." Kate sniffed. "Seems like bad luck has come in threes, for us. First with Jeremy being on the run, then with my family crisis, now this."

Heather patted her friend then turned back to Bo. "We just heard that Jeremy had been caught and was in here. We wanted to offer him our condolences."

Bo offered the ladies a slight smile. "I'm afraid it was all a big mistake, Jeremy wasn't admitted here today. But Kathleen's baby is in here if you would like to visit him."

The ladies looked at each other for a moment before they turned back to Bo. "I'm confused. Kathleen doesn't have a baby." Heather replied, shaking her head.

But Kate's eyes widened. After she recovered from the small shock, she pushed past her friend and past Bo, forcing herself behind the curtain where Luke had been treated, where he still stood playing with Will.

Her loud gasp brought Luke and Jesse's attention away from the baby, where they saw her standing there with both hands over her mouth. In moments, excited tears appeared at the corners of her eyes. "Gregory!" She exclaimed.

The name meant nothing to the Dukes, but it seemed to spark some real recognition in Will. At hearing the name, the baby looked toward Kate, squealing and bouncing so much in Luke's arms that Luke was momentarily afraid that he would drop him. When it became more than obvious that the baby was much more interested in Kate than in Luke, he handed him off to her.

"Oh Gregory, oh my baby….." Kate trailed off, giving the baby a parade of kisses as Heather also entered and became wide eyed at the scene. "I was so worried about you, I thought you were gone forever!"

"I don't believe it." Heather whispered as the officer returned. "Kathleen……..she wasn't gone to Arizona to see her momma, she was………………"

"She was kidnapping my son!" Kate exclaimed, bringing shock to everyone in the room. "I've got to go call his father, let him know he's been found."

With that, she hurried out of the room with baby Gregory in tow.

"Well." Luke swallowed. "At least we know he's going to be taken care of." He replied while Jesse patted his shoulder.

"I never would have expected this." Heather announced. "I know Kathleen had tried for years to have children without success but for her to stoop so low as to take her best friend's child…….."

Dr. Lunsford nodded. "I'm beginning to think you're right about her stability, Mr. Duke. Seems she had dreams of the perfect family. Husband, child….." He trailed off. "And when her thieving husband disappeared and the child never materialized, she compensated by creating that family in a rather unusual way. I'm sure she knew that your arrival here at the hospital would erase that effort, therefore dashing her dreams a second time. Apparently she felt that life without a family wasn't much worth living."

"I feel sorry for her." Luke said, looking toward Jesse and Bo. "And I certainly don't condone what she did. But if that truly was her theory on life and family, I can't say that mine's much different."

After the Dukes had hugged again, Jesse spoke up. "Well speaking of family, why don't this one go home and enjoy a welcome home breakfast of pancakes and sausage?"

"Does that include extended family members as well?" Cooter asked hopefully, having overhead Jesse as he returned to the room.

"Sure, we always strive to make extended family members feel right at home when it comes to breakfast." Bo assured him with a slap on the back.

"Really?" Cooter asked in excitement.

"Yeah. Of course, when you're at home, you're usually the one that does the cooking." Bo grinned as he exited the room.

"And I got a brand new spatula. You get to be the first to break it in." Jesse added with a laugh as he steered a chuckling Luke out of the room with him.

"How exactly did I get myself into that?" Cooter asked himself, offering the other occupants of the room a slight wave as he himself exited.

**_And so, that's how Luke survived his brief life as Jeremy Robinson, a jailbreak father and husband._**

****

**_So all the Duke men returned to the farm for a reunion with Daisy, just in time to greet the morning sun. Daisy was overjoyed to hear that Cooter had been assigned cooking responsibilities, but as ole' Cooter admits, he ain't dumb. When he presented the family with that half burnt plate of pancakes, you can rest assured that he was never invited to cook again._**

****

**_And as for Will, who we now know as Gregory, he returned home to live a happy life with his mother and his father. And of course, his new 'Uncle Luke' was a frequent visitor. _**

****

**_I gotta admit the kid had it rough there for awhile, being away from his mom and dad. But when you look at what he got out of it, kinda made it all worth it, don'tcha think?_**

****

THE END


End file.
